Left
by Trebles.and.Tones
Summary: Rachel is left on her biological mother's doorstep because her fathers don't want her.Shelby is shocked to find Rachel on her doorstep fifteen years after being forced to sign a contract after her birth.Forced into a relationship neither of them are sure they're ready for,mother and daughter must learn to live together, and hopefully learn to understand one another in the process.
1. 34 Boxes & an Envelope

**Chapter One: Thirty-Four Boxes and an Envelope**

Hiram and Leroy Berry had thought about it for years. The first time they had thought about it, Rachel had been five and had had a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store for some unknown reason. At least they told Rachel they weren't sure when she had asked them about it several years after the fact and she was curious about why she had gotten mad that long ago day.

The second time had been when she was nine. They weren't sure why they had thought about it that time. Though, secretly, they knew why…they just didn't want to admit it out loud.

Then they knew for sure when she was eleven. For four years now, they had wanted to find Rachel's biological mother and give Rachel back to her. They had no need of her anymore. They knew that they were not good parents. They gave into Rachel's every whim when she was younger and hated having to deal with her when she was difficult. They despised school functions, and they hated not being able to do what they wanted when they wanted. And most of all, they hated the times when Rachel asked them about her mother. That had happened when she was five. Again at nine. And then at eleven. At eleven, Rachel had stopped asking, but their minds were made up.

Not that they ever put Rachel first. Not since she had been eleven, and not really even before. They put themselves first and left Rachel at home and they knew it. They didn't feel bad about. They spent money on her, bought her everything she wanted or gave her the money to buy it. They paid for piano, dance, and singing lessons. They let her live her life while they lived their own.

Rachel also knew it, and they knew that Rachel knew it. But they didn't care. Not one bit.

But that was all about to change.

Somehow, Rachel had been able to talk Hiram and Leroy into going to Sectionals. It might have helped that it was on Rachel's birthday and it was the one day of the year now that they tried to act like fathers to the girl. She was singing a solo, and she had wanted her fathers there to see her. So, after they had thought she was going to throw a tantrum, something she still did to try and get her way, they had agreed. They hated tantrums. They always gave into them. It was how Rachel had accumulated most of her technology. Her laptop, iPod, iPhone. She had asked the only way she knew how.

But then they saw _her_. Hiram and Leroy had been sitting in the middle of the auditorium when they looked over to their left, three rows down, and saw _her_.

_Her_.

They sent a text to Rachel and told her to ride the bus back to school, that they would pick her up there. They had something more important to do. Very important. Rachel's performance no longer mattered.

Not that they had really cared about it to begin with. They really hadn't. It had all been a front to keep people from asking questions; especially, since it was Rachel's birthday.

Despite the fact that they had left, Rachel had sang beautifully, even if it had been through tears. Luckily the song she sang had been sad. Rachel wasn't able to be happy in that moment.

Mr. Shuester had commended her for her ability to act. So did everyone else in the show choir, even those who constantly belittled her. She hadn't cared though.

She had wanted to tell them all to shut up. But she hadn't. She had merely said thank-you, and then had run to the nearest bathroom. She didn't need anyone's pity. She was despised at school and pretended that she had a great home life. It wasn't like anyone would care that she spent most hours by herself, alone, lonely. Even afraid. If it weren't for her boyfriend, she would know no companionship. It wasn't like anyone would care that her loving, gay dads always had better things to do, things that did not involve her. Or, that they really were not all that loving to begin with.

While Rachel was upset about them leaving her performance, Hiram and Leroy had quickly done a Google search…why they hadn't thought of it before, they had no idea. But they discovered where _she_ worked. Then they discovered where _she_ lived. Who cared that they had to pay 49.95 to get _her_ address? They went home and they packed Rachel's things.

They packed everything. Clothes. Posters from the walls. Trophies from dance and singing competitions. All of the boxes under Rachel's bed. Even her diary that she hid under her mattress. They didn't snoop through anything. They didn't care. They just wanted it all packed. They threw everything in the bathroom into a large box, and pulled everything out of the closet.

They packed everything into their two vehicles and then Hiram turned to Leroy.

"I will write the letter and get the transfer papers, if you get the boxes from the basement with all of the baby stuff. _She_ probably would like to see it. _She_ should have it. Everything is in there from before the birth as well."

Leroy had nodded, and then the two men went about their ways.

Less than an hour later, they had everything packed in their two vehicles. Rachel was due at the school any minute.

They hurriedly drove to the school where the bus was just unloading. Rachel walked over to them slowly. She could feel it. Something was up. She didn't know what it was, but it was something. She didn't know whether the thought scared her, or made her nervous, or what. She was still on a slight high after winning Sectionals, despite the fact that her fathers had texted her a mere three minutes before she was to be on and told her that they had something more important to do. It had hurt, she had cried, but now she was over it. Mostly, at least. She figured that maybe it had something to do with her birthday. It was the one day a year that she knew that she could count on her fathers. They always spent that day with her on her birthday.

"Come on, Rachel." Her father, Hiram said. He was the only one who had room in his vehicle for her.

She climbed in the car and fixed her plaid skirt and straightened her white sweater that had a Scottish terrier with a plaid scarf around its neck that matched her skirt perfectly.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"It is a surprise."

She didn't ask any more questions. She knew better. Asking her fathers questions never solved anything. She did not much care for surprises though.

So, silent she remained.

It was not a long drive, though it was not particularly short either. They were driving in the opposite direction from where they lived. Rachel was wondering why there were so many boxes in the car with them and why her other father was following them in his own car.

Later, she would wonder how she had missed it.

For forty-five minutes they drove, until finally they pulled up in front of a two story brick home. Rachel first noticed the address numbers on the house…1218…for two different reasons. One was that the numbers were on a golden star, and the second was because the numbers were her birth date. Rachel always noticed insignificant things like that.

Rachel watched as her Dad climbed out of the car and went to talk to her Daddy. Soon, they were back.

"Rachel, help us get all of this onto the porch."

Rachel merely nodded and climbed out of the car. All of the boxes were taped shut, so she had no idea what was in them. For the next thirty minutes, they moved boxes from the cars onto that porch with the golden star beside the door.

Finally, her Daddy moved the last box onto the porch and looked at Rachel.

Rachel knew that look. It was the look she always got right before her fathers told her that they were both leaving for a few weeks and to make due until they came back.

"Rachel, come here." Rachel walked over to the man and stood in front of him.

He leaned over with a safety pin and took a large envelope from his husband. Rachel watched, confused, as he safety pinned the envelope to her sweater. It wasn't that heavy…but what was the point of safety pinning it to her sweater? What if they ruined it? This sweater was one of her favorites. And why couldn't she simply hold it? She was fifteen, not five.

"Rachel. We have to leave now."

Rachel looked up. She had known that look.

"Then take me back home." Rachel told them.

They looked at one another. How did they do this? They needed to be gone before _she_ got here. They had looked online at the school she worked at and they knew that _she_ had her own Sectionals competition to attend with _her_ own show choir. _She_ had been scooping out the competition, but _her_ own show choir competition was thirty minutes away from where Rachel's had been, and had been scheduled later than Rachel's. They figured that _she_ would be home by eight. It was six thirty at the moment.

"You are going to stay here." One of them said. Rachel didn't even know which one. Her head was spinning. She didn't even know where she was at.

"I don't understand. What do you mean I am staying here? I don't even know where here is!" Rachel said quickly, her voice rising as she spoke.

"You'll understand later. Right now the only thing you need to know is that this is where you will live from now on. When the woman who lives here gets home, give her the envelope. She will explain everything. Now we are leaving. We wish you well in life. Good-bye, Rachel." Hiram told her. They refused to say _her_ name.

Leroy didn't say anything. He did have the mind to hand her the heavy winter jacket he had thought to grab out of the downstairs closet before they left home though. It was December, and he was sure that Rachel would get cold during her wait, even if it was only a little over an hour.

"You're just leaving me here?" Rachel asked, looking at them both strangely.

"It is for the best. Bye, Rachel."

Rachel watched as the two men got into their separate cars and backed out of the driveway. This had to be a joke. Were they serious? Rachel seriously had no idea where she was at, or whose home she was supposedly staying at.

Rachel unpinned the safety pin from her sweater and, using the pointy end, tore at the tape of one of the boxes.

It took several minutes, but she finally tore through the packing tape. She opened the flaps and stared down at clothes she knew had been in her closet. She pushed the box aside. She tore through the tape of her next box. Toiletries. Soap, tampons, toothbrush, combs, shampoo; Every single thing that had been in her bathroom.

She opened another box. Trophies. She chunked one of them out in the yard. It was the only competition her fathers had both attended that she actually remembered.

She opened another box. More clothes.

Another. Her diary was on top, along with boxes that had been under her bed.

The next box had her sheet music. She had been able to play the piano since she was three. She was musically inclined, though neither of fathers were, and she had caught on quickly.

The box after that has some of her shoes and a random pair of snow boots that she hadn't worn in two years.

She stopped opening boxes after the next one, when she pulled out a stuffed rabbit that had sat on her bed for as long as she could remember, because she finally realized that she wasn't dreaming and that her life had officially boiled down to thirty-four boxes of various sizes. Lucky for her fathers that one of them drove a large SUV with fold down seats.

Thirty-four boxes. She hated the number thirty-four all of a sudden. Such a horrible, cruel number.

It was then that Rachel finally sat on the top step of this random house and let a tear fall.

After that single tear, there was no stopping her. Heart wrenching sobs quickly overtook her body.

But the sobs were silent.

It was always better to cry silently; to cry unnoticed.

That way people couldn't tell how badly they hurt you.

Rachel cried and finally pulled her winter jacket on. She hated the jacket. She hadn't been the one to pick it out. She wanted to burn it. It was red. An angry red. One of her fathers had picked it out and brought it home to her one day last year. She had never worn it. She could not wear something like that to school. She was teased enough about the things that she already wore.

Right now, though, she needed the warmth. She would wear the monstrosity for now. But the first chance she got, she was throwing it in a fire somewhere. Even if she had to start one herself.

Thirty-four boxes was all it had taken to move Rachel out of her fathers' lives completely.

Thirty-four boxes and an envelope.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby Corcoran had been glad that she had gone to watch the competition before her own show choir competed in a town a half hour away. It would help her out later, when they were getting ready for Sectionals. The group that won had been raw talent, but Shelby knew if they ever got their acts together, they might give Vocal Adrenaline a run for their money. She had also wanted to keep her mind busy on this day, a bittersweet day for her. One that she thought about every year. She still had to go home and fill out the card that sat on her dresser. It was tradition, and hopefully would only be for three more years. She had been counting meticulously.

She had watched the kids sing, all the while taking notes so that she would not forget anything later. She knew that New Directions had gotten bonus points for their lead soloist crying during her solo of 'Why Do I Feel So Sad?', but Shelby had seen acting, and that girl had not been acting. She had been crying real tears of sorrow. Oh, she had sang beautifully, knocking every other singer there out of the park, but those tears had been real. Shelby had silently wondered if anyone else had noticed, and she suspected not. Especially when she saw the other kids in the girl's group congratulate her, all the while the girl had been trying to get out of the auditorium. Shelby noticed things like that. Details like that were important, especially when checking out the competition.

Shelby wasn't sure why she really cared that the girl had been crying, though, except that her team would have to work their asses off if they all met at Nationals if the girl was actually better than she proved to be tonight. The two teams wouldn't meet at Regionals, but she already felt that if New Directions worked on it, they could make it to Nationals no problem. That was when she would have to worry about it.

Shelby sighed. Her team had done fabulously tonight as well. There was no question about it. The judges had only taken ten minutes to discuss it, and Shelby suspected that was for show. Her kids had been on cue every single step. They knew better than to not be. She wasn't the top choir coach in the country for nothing.

Now she was ready to get home, though. She had a nice, hot bath with a glass of wine calling her name. Throw in some soft, classical music and she would call it the perfect day. It was only just gone eight o'clock, so she might even throw in some late night television as well. Only after she filled out the card though. The card came first. It always did.

Shelby smiled at the thought as she pulled into her driveway. She always looked forward to filling out the bittersweet card. She had an entire box of them under her bed. That way she could pull them out if she wanted too. The same box that held a piece of paper with a tiny footprint and a lock of brown hair.

That smile instantly faded when she saw that there was someone sitting on her porch. She would have missed it had she not left the porch light on when she left. Of course there was the garish red coat that was being worn by whoever it was, too, so maybe she wouldn't have missed whoever it was for long. Tonight was not a night for visitors though. Especially visitors she did not know. There was too much on her mind.

Shelby turned her car off and climbed out, grabbing her purse as she did so. She walked up to the porch and looked at the person sitting there.

It was a girl. Wait…It was the sad soloist she had watched sing not five hours previous. What in the world was she doing here, of all places?

"May I help you?" Shelby asked as she walked closer. The girl's lips were nearly blue. How long had she been sitting out here?

"May I help you, young lady?" Shelby tried again. The girl held her hand out, a large envelope extended towards her. She stepped up to take the envelope, and that was when she noticed all the boxes, some of them open. She looked around and then even spotted some sort of trophy in her front yard. Shelby was confused.

Shelby took the envelope and opened it, but just as she was about to read it the girl finally spoke:

"I don't know why I am here. They left me. They left me, thirty-four boxes, and an envelope." The girl shivered.

"How long have you been out here?" Shelby asked her.

The girl finally looked up at her, dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Since about six. They left at like fifteen til seven though."

Shelby stared at her for a moment. Regardless of what was going on, she really needed to get this girl warmed up.

"Come inside and let's get you warmed up."

The girl merely nodded and stood. That was when Shelby realized she was in a skirt. Shelby hissed under her breath and made her way through the maze of boxes so that she could open the door. As she did, a gush of warm air hit her, and she ushered the girl inside, and then put her hand on the girl's back and guided her towards the kitchen so that she could make the girl something hot to drink. She pointed to the kitchen table and the girl immediately sat down.

Quickly, Shelby made some hot tea. In less than five minutes the girl was holding the cup gratefully, breathing in the steam to warm her insides. She was still cold, but she hoped not for long. Shelby left the room and then quickly came back with a blanket, which she put in the girl's lap.

Shelby sat on the opposite side of the table then and watched the girl in front of her. The girl wouldn't look at her.

"I watched you sing today." Shelby said.

The girl looked at her, mild curiosity in her eyes.

"Yea, not my best."

"You won."

"It was a fluke. I was not up to par tonight. Had the other teams not been so abysmal, we would not have won."

Maybe this girl actually knew something about show choir. Though, Shelby thought, she was not giving her team nearly enough credit. Even if the performance had not been her best, both she and her team had done very well.

"Why are you here?" Shelby asked. Now that the girl was talking, she thought that maybe she could get more answers from her.

"I don't know. They left me here. I don't even know who you are." It was a whisper. Shelby could tell that this girl was as confused as she was.

She pulled the envelope towards her again and pulled the papers all the way out this time. She didn't look at them yet.

"How old are you?"

She watched as the young girl cringed.

"I turned fifteen today."

Shelby's breath caught.

She looked down at the papers I front of her.

A letter was on top. She didn't read it. Not yet. She looked at the bottom. Two signatures.

Was it…could it…how?

"You're Rachel?" Shelby whispered, but never looked up. She could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She was processing the papers in front of her. Transfer of Guardianship papers. Termination of Parental Rights papers. The letter.

All signed by Hiram and Leroy Berry.

Shelby looked up at Rachel. Rachel was staring at her.

"Yes. My name is Rachel. Please…who are you? Why did they leave me here? I know they don't like having me around all that much, but…why did they just leave me here with all my stuff? I am fine at home by myself…"

Shelby looked at her for a moment as a tear slid down Rachel's face. Shelby had an identical tear falling down her own cheek.

They hadn't even told Rachel who she was before they dropped her off?

"Rachel…I am…"

Shelby looked into the face of the girl in front of her. Defeated. Helpless. On a day that was supposed to be celebrated in more ways than one because not only was she turning fifteen, but her show choir had just won Sectionals.

"I am your mother." Shelby said gently.

Rachel looked at her for close to a minute, neither of them moving, blinking, or talking.

Until Rachel finally did the only thing that she knew to do.

She sobbed.

* * *

**AN: Here is a new story that I have been working on. I hope that you enjoyed it:) Let me know what you think.**


	2. The Letter

**Chapter Two: The Letter**

_Shelby, _

_We both know that by now you realize who the girl in front of you is, the girl we left on your doorstep in the middle of winter on her birthday. We both know that you didn't read this letter first. You always wanted the answers before the questions were asked. As you know, her name is Rachel. You knew that already though. Today is her fifteenth birthday. Congratulations, it is a girl…and we are giving her back to you. It is what you wanted after she was born anyways. Had it not been for us, you probably could have gotten full custody of her at her birth. Leroy is a lawyer though and you knew that he would drag both you and Rachel through the courts. You knew that it would be hard to win and we told you that you could end up in jail. I wish that we wouldn't have done it. We should have let you have her. We never knew how hard it would be to try and raise a child, a girl at that. She is a lot like you. Headstrong, self motivated. _

_We have been passively looking for you for nearly four years. Why we never thought to Google your name, I will never now. Something so simple and we overlooked it. Probably because we are not fans of technology. Otherwise, you hid your trail nicely…even if you were not trying to hide from us. We saw you today though. Did you know the girl singing in front of you was your daughter? Or did you only just realize it when you opened this envelope? She looks just like you, doesn't she? Everything about her is like you._

_You may think that we are cruel. You may be right. Rachel is not an easy child and she never was. She cried nearly constantly the first year. We hired a nanny so that we didn't have to put up with the screaming all the time. By the time she was five, she wanted to know where her mommy was. By nine, she knew a tantrum was how to get her way. We always gave in. By eleven, she was in the beginning stages of puberty, and we no longer even had an inkling of what to do with her. That was the last time that she asked about you, but she writes about finding you in her diary. She has always wanted you. Now she has you. We want nothing further to do with her. We raised her for fifteen years. It is your turn._

_Her phone will be cut off at the end of the week. Her dance lessons are paid until summer. I am not sure the last time she had a physical. I am sure that she can tell you. As you probably know, she goes to McKinley High. She is top in her class and the lead soloist in her Glee Club. Other than that, we know nothing about school. We are not sure who her friends are, or who her boyfriend is. We only know that she does have one because our neighbor told us that there was a strange boy leaving late at night nearly every night while we were gone over the last six weeks. _

_Again, we know this may seem cruel. But we also know that you will not say no. You have wanted her as much as she has wanted you. Not that it will be easy. Despite the fact that we left her years ago, she will still be hurt. We packed all of her things. We are pretty sure that we didn't miss anything. Two of the boxes are for you. Pictures we took of her, baby books, allergies she has, and such are written down randomly throughout various books and notebooks. Everything that might remind us of her is in those two boxes. _

_In the envelope are also papers that terminate Leroy and me as her parents. They have been signed. They just need to be filed with a lawyer besides Leroy. We also signed the transfer of guardianship papers that will give you all of your rights back as her biological mother. You will never hear from us again. We have waited for this day. We are packing up our own home as you read this, and in a matter of days, we will be gone. I will not tell you where. We do now wish to be found. You can save your anger at us…._

Shelby stopped reading the letter and sat back in the chair; she looked at Rachel. Her daughter. The little girl she had always wanted. That child was now sitting right in front of her. Shelby felt like she was dreaming.

But she had not wanted her this way. Not in a way that would leave the girl broken. And the little girl who was sitting in front of her was obviously broken. She was hurt. Confused. Angry. She had every right to feel those things.

"Have you eaten supper?" Shelby finally asked her. Rachel shook her head no. She was still leaning over her cup of tea, silent tears splashing in the warm liquid.

"Are you hungry?"

Again, she shook her head no.

This was unfamiliar territory for Shelby. Sure, she worked with kids all day, every day of the week pretty much. But when those kids cried, she sent them out of her auditorium until they stopped crying, and only then did she allow them back in.

She knew that she couldn't do that right now though.

"I have two rooms that you can choose from. There are four upstairs besides my own, but only two of those rooms are actually bedrooms. One is my office and the other is where I keep all of my music, books, and my piano. There are two bathrooms upstairs, though one is in my room. The other is the guest bathroom, though it will now be yours. Would you like to unpack your things tonight…or wait until tomorrow?" Shelby asked her. She wasn't sure what to do. What did one do when one's daughter was thrust upon her out of nowhere? She had always been ready to accept her daughter with open arms when they were reunited. But she hadn't expected it to happen like this. There were no open arms and hugs. There was awkwardness and tears. How could she be happy when her daughter was so sad, even if she was glad to have her daughter with her?

"I want to lie down." Rachel said. Another tear slipped into the cup of tea. Shelby wondered if it was possible for Rachel to fill the cup with her tears. The very thought disturbed her, especially when another tear slid down into the cup and Shelby would swear that she saw the level in the cup rise as the ripples calmed.

"Come. I will show you the rooms that you can choose from…do you know what box had your pajamas?"

"I don't need them." Rachel whispered. She just wanted to lie down. All she needed was her stuffed rabbit. She stood up and let the ugly, red jacket fall to the floor and left the blanket in the chair and walked to the front door. She opened it, and looked over the boxes until she spotted the rabbit on top of one of the boxes.

She then closed the door and stood at the base of the stairs. She didn't want to look at those boxes. It hurt too much right now. Her entire life was in those boxes. Maybe it would not hurt as much when she was able unpack them. But not right now.

Shelby had watched her. She watched as the fifteen year old girl clutched a stuffed, worn rabbit in her hands. The girl looked so broken. So sad. Shelby moved past her and walked up the stairs. She could feel Rachel's presence behind her. She knew that she was being followed. She was glad. She wanted to at least get Rachel into bed so that she could get the boxes off the front porch and into the hallway before she went to bed. Her mind was no longer on the glass of wine and long bath she had planned to take. Those things were no longer important. The only thing that was important right now was her child.

"This is the first room." Shelby said, opening the first door at the top of the stairs. Shelby didn't think that Rachel would want this room. It was nice, but it was small. The second bedroom was much larger, with a view of the front yard out of a bay window that also held a window seat. It also held a door that led to the hallways bathroom.

"This is the second room." Shelby said, opening the door to the larger room. The walls in here were painted beige on three walls and a dark brown on the wall behind the bed, the trim was white, and the carpet was light beige.

"I can really pick?" Rachel mumbled. She was surprised. Why should this woman…her mother…let her have her pick of rooms? What if things didn't work out with her? That thought made Rachel cry more tears though. What would happen if she was unwanted her as well?

If that happen, she literally had nowhere else to go.

"You may. Do you want this room? I figured that you would. It is bigger, and you look like a girl who might like to sit in the window seat and daydream."

Rachel nodded. She did like this room. It was big, open, and it looked like it would give her a chance to breathe when she felt suffocated. A place where she could find herself when she felt lost.

"Okay. That door close to the window is the closet. It has some stuff in it, but I will clean it out tomorrow. This door here," Shelby pointed to the door closest to the actual bedroom door, "is the second entry to the bathroom."

Rachel nodded.

"Okay, if you need anything, my bedroom door is directly across the hall. I will be downstairs for about an hour or so more, but then I will be in my room. I will leave the door open, okay?"

Rachel nodded again as she stepped in the room.

Before Shelby even left the room, Rachel was unzipping her skirt and pushing it to the floor. She was so tired. After shedding her sweater and shirt, leaving her in a tank top, she pulled the quilt, thick blankets, and sheet down and crawled in.

She didn't even bother to turn the light off. She curled into the fetal position and tucked her rabbit against her.

And started to cry into the rabbit's soft fur. She cried until she finally drifted off to sleep.

She was so confused.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby checked on Rachel once before she started bringing the boxes on the porch inside of the house. The girl was still in the same position she had been in when she laid down, but she was no longer crying, so Shelby assumed that she was asleep. She kept the overhead light on though, just in case. She could always turn it off later.

It was getting colder outside, but Shelby just opened the door and started stacking boxes in the hallway. She could look through them for her two boxes once she got them in the house. Some of them were nearly too big for her to get into the house, so she dragged them in. Her mind would not shut off. Who would do this to a fifteen year old child? When she had agreed to be a surrogate for Hiram and Leroy, she had thought they the perfect couple. But she had gotten a bad feeling right before the baby had been born, but that was when Leroy started threatening her with lawsuits and legal fees, neither of which she could afford at the time.

She had been twenty-one and penniless. She hadn't wanted to go to jail and she hadn't been able to afford to pay a lawyer or court costs. She had been so naïve.

Now she was smarter. Had she known then what she knew now, she would never have let Rachel go with the two men. They could have easily shared custody. Now, though, Shelby knew she would be in her lawyer's office first thing in the morning to solidify this arrangement. She didn't know anything about being a mother, but she had worked with kids for years. She would be fine.

Shelby finally pulled the last box in the house, and then went out into the yard and picked up the trophy that had been thrown out in the yard. She looked at it. It was first place, a dance competition, Rachel would have been roughly…five. Shelby took the trophy over to the already opened box that held all of Rachel's trophies, ribbons, plaques. Most of them were first place, if not all of them. Shelby smiled. Maybe her little girl was a lot like her.

Then Shelby frowned. How had she not realized that the sad soloist looked like her today? There was no denying that Rachel was nearly identical to Shelby in practically every way except she was currently quite a bit shorter and her eyes were several shades darker. Shelby wiped a tear away. What if this hadn't have happened? Would she have ever known that the sad soloist was her daughter?

She wiped another tear away. It didn't matter now. Now the girl would be living with her, permanently. That meant that Shelby had a lot of things to figure out: how to get Rachel to and from school, though she suspected her sister would help with that since she worked at Lima Elementary; how to make sure that she was only alone at home for no more than two hours at a time, Shelby did not want to make the mistakes the Berry's had made; she also had to figure out any medical conditions or allergies that Rachel had.

She didn't even know what the girl would eat. What if she was picky? And she apparently had a boyfriend. Hiram's letter had said that much. She seemed quite young, to Shelby at least, to have a boyfriend. She should be in…Shelby quickly did the math in her head…the ninth grade.

Shelby continued to open boxes, leaving them alone if they were Rachel's things. They would have to carry them all up the stairs the next day so that Rachel could unpack. She would have to go buy groceries once she found out what Rachel liked. She needed to make sure that Rachel had all of the necessary toiletries.

There were so many things that she needed to do. She had to call her sister and talk to her. Honestly she wanted to do that right now, but she knew that her nieces were probably asleep and the phone woke the youngest up if it rang. It was close to eleven at night now. Tomorrow would be soon enough. She would have to make sure that her sister didn't try to bombard Rachel with questions when she met her or try to come over right away.

Several more boxes were opened and moved to the side. She needed Rachel's medical records. That was on top of the list. She needed to know what Rachel was allergic too so that she would be aware of it in case Rachel got a hold of something that she couldn't have.

Finally, when she had eight more boxes to go, Shelby found both boxes, side by side. She picked up the first one and put it on the kitchen table and then did the same with the second one. They were both open, but Shelby just stared at them for a few moments. She took a few deep breaths.

And then, finally, she started to sort through them. The first one held pictures, a baby book, and several notebooks. One of the notebooks was marked _Medical_, so Shelby sat it to the side so that she could look at the pictures first. There were pictures from Rachel being brought home from the hospital all the way up to age nine. Then there were only random pictures. Shelby soaked in the face of the tiny little girl in the pictures. She even noticed where the lock of hair was missing on that tiny head in the early pictures. The lock of hair she had cut and placed with the paper that held Rachel's tiny footprint. She knew no one else would ever notice the one lock of hair from the baby girl because she had asked the nurse for scissors for that purpose and cut it before anyone else had even seen the girl.

She never regretted that. She had missed so many firsts, but she had been the first to cut a lock of hair from her child's brunette locks. It had gotten her through many things. Rachel's first Christmas. First Birthday. Every birthday, really. So many days that single lock of hair had helped her through.

Shelby wiped her tears away and then pulled the notebook she had set aside towards her. She opened it and looked at the lists.

Most of the notebook was blank, but the first fifteen pages or so were full. Every time Rachel had been ill up until she was around nine, was in this book. Shelby finally found a page that said _Allergies_ on the top of it. The list was quite long: Penicillin, cats, dogs, dust, kiwi, dairy, birds, Caress soap, Oil of Olay products. Things that the Berry's would have discovered as Rachel was growing up. Only, the handwriting was not that of either Berry. The handwriting was childish and matured as the list grew longer. Rachel had filled out most of this herself. That angered Shelby.

Shelby knew that she would have to find out what type of soy milk Rachel liked…she used a lot of milk when she cooked if she cooked, so she would have to change that to suit Rachel's needs.

Shelby set the book aside, her anger still sitting on the surface, and looked in the next box. Inside here, there were tapes. She picked up one and read the front of it: Rachel's First Talent Show. It was also written in a childish script.

She wondered if the Berry men had had to buy the tapes because the way things sounded to her, they had not been to many of the girl's competitions. Or had Rachel bought them, trying to get her fathers to be a part of her life?

Shelby sat back and sighed. Was she ready to do this? Was she ready to be a mother? She sure hoped so. She _would_ be a mother to her child. She _could_ be a mother to her child. She was financially stable. She was off summers so she could focus on her daughter. She could do this.

After all, she worked with kids every day. How hard could it be? She talked, they listened. Every single day of the school year.

Shelby smiled with new confidence as she walked up the stairs with one of the boxes so that she could put it in her office for storage. She was not going to let Rachel have these boxes. She set it down beside her desk and then went back downstairs to grab the second one. This time she locked the doors and turned off the lights. She was tired and she still had a lot to think about.

Shelby placed the second box in the office and shut the door behind her. She went to check on Rachel once more, this time opening the bathroom door that was in her room and turning on the light in there so that she would be able to find it if she woke up in the middle of the night. Shelby watched her sleep for several moments, and then turned the overhead light off as well.

She went into her bedroom and picked the card off the dresser and opened her drawer beside her bed and grabbed a pen. This was a tradition, and despite the little girl she wrote to being in the room across the hall, she still had to do this so that she could add it to the collection under her bed. It was important to her. She placed the card on top of a hardback book that she was reading when she got the chance and began to write in the birthday card:

_Dear Baby Girl, I finally got to meet you today. I am so excited that you are going to be part of my life now and I already love you more than you will ever now…_

* * *

**AN: I was astounded by all of the amazing feedback that I got for the first chapter of this story. Thanks to each and every one of you:) This chapter was, perhaps, a bit slow, but I think things pick up soon. It may not have been slow at all...it may be in my head. Anyways, I would love to know what you think about this chapter, and I will have the next chapter up as soon as I am able, though I have to update One Step first, hopefully tomorrow for those who also read it:)**


	3. Sinking In

**Chapter Three: Sinking In**

Sunday was hectic for Shelby on so many levels. Rachel refused to eat and had very nearly refused to come out of her new room at all until Shelby told her that she couldn't walk around in her tank top and underwear all day and they needed to get the thirty-two boxes that were in the hallway up the stairs and unpacked. Rachel had looked at her oddly. She knew that there were thirty-four boxes, but she didn't say anything because she didn't feel like talking about it.

Really, she didn't want to talk at all.

When she had woke up, reality had hit her like a ton of bricks. She was now living with her mother, the single most person that she had thought about more than any other her entire life.

Rachel had wanted to know her mother for as long as she could remember. She had wanted to live with her mother for as long as she could remember. But she had not wanted to be left on her mother's doorstep, literally, without he woman expecting her. And Shelby Corcoran had definitely not been expecting her.

She had to say, though, that her mother was a trooper. The woman had quickly gotten over her surprise without any missteps.

So, did that mean that maybe, just maybe, the woman wanted her in her life as well? Rachel was not sure, but she sure hoped so. Rachel definitely had nowhere else to go if her mother didn't want her.

But surely the woman wouldn't have let her pick out a room if she was just going to throw her out…right?

Rachel didn't know, but she did know that it was probably best to try to be invisible so that her mother didn't tire of her like her fathers had.

Only, the woman kept talking to her, asking her things, doing things. How could she remain invisible if her mother kept…being there?

At lunch, Shelby had called Rachel down to the kitchen. They had finally gotten all the boxes upstairs, and Rachel had been slowly putting things away after Shelby had moved the things in the closet into what was now the sole guest room. Shelby hadn't really given her a choice about coming downstairs, so Rachel had trudged down the stairs and sat at the table.

Shelby was looking in the fridge. She really didn't keep a lot of food in the house because she usually wasn't home for meals. She knew that that was going to have to change. She was going to have to rearrange her VA schedule so that she could be home more. At least until closer to competition time. They could practice for a few hours after school while Rachel stayed with Shelby's sister, or even went home. Shelby didn't want Rachel alone after six at night though. Nothing good would come out of leaving a teenager to her own devices for too long. Shelby didn't know a lot about being a mother, but she did know that was not the type of mother that she wanted to be. She wanted to be a good mother. She wanted to be there for her daughter. She wanted her daughter to be able to reach her at all times.

And for the first time ever, Shelby was having doubts about her job. She was well off, she didn't need the job. She could give vocal lessons or even just teach English if she so desired. She pushed it to the back of her mind for the moment. Regardless, she would have to finish the year out because she was under contract. She wanted to finish the year out. She had won four national titles and wanted the fifth one. She knew that it was possible, and then perhaps it would be time to think about a job that was less tedious with more hours at home when the year finally ended.

Shelby looked over at Rachel. The girl was sitting at the table in yoga pants and the same tank top from last night, her hair pulled up in a messy bun.

"We need to go buy groceries. I am not sure what you like, so you need to go with me." Shelby told her.

Rachel stared at her.

"I am vegan." Rachel told her, never moving her eyes from her mothers.

Shelby looked at her and nodded dumbly. Vegan? What the hell? What fifteen year old was truly vegan?

"So, yea. Let's go buy some groceries."

"I can't go looking like this. I haven't even showered and I cannot go out in these clothes."

"Well. Okay. Um, go get ready, and then we will go. We might stop by my sister's house so that you can meet her. I think she is going to take you to and from school starting Tuesday because she works at Lima Elementary."

"Yea. Okay. What about tomorrow?" Rachel asked her as she stood up.

"You are not going tomorrow. We have things that we have to do."

"Yes, I am." Rachel said. Shelby watched as the girl stood up straighter and bowed up slightly. For some reason, the action made Shelby slightly irritated. She was not used to children disobeying her.

"No, you aren't. We have things that we have to do and I need to speak with your principal before you go back to school."

"I have never missed a day of school! I don't plan on doing it now just because my fathers finally decided to dump me on your doorstep because they hate me! That isn't my fault and I don't know why my life should be disturbed just because they made this decision right before Christmas break! That is not my fault." Rachel yelled. She couldn't miss school! She just couldn't.

"We have to go to the lawyer tomorrow and I have to speak to your principal and guidance counselor. This is not up for discussion. You can go to school on Tuesday and Wednesday and take your finals."

"I am going tomorrow." Rachel deadpanned.

Shelby sighed and looked at the petulant girl in front of her. They had not even been together for a full twenty-four hours and already her authority was being tested. Shelby walked over to the girl and stood in front of her so that she could look down. Rachel was a head shorter than she was, but she didn't back down like Shelby had expected her too…like her VA kids would have done had she been giving them the same look.

"I know that your life has been disrupted, so has mine, but we are going to make the best of it. I do not want you going back to school until I talk to the principal and the guidance counselor. Which I will be doing tomorrow. I also do not want you to go before I speak with my lawyer, which I will be doing in the morning. What I say goes in this home, and you would do well to learn that, and learn it quick. I do not appreciate being told what you will and will not do. It would be best if you just obey me. Understood?"

Rachel stared at her. She wasn't used to being told what to do. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"I asked you a question, Rachel. I expect an answer."

Rachel swallowed and looked away.

"Fine." She crossed her arms over her chest as she muttered the single word.

"Good. Now go upstairs, do what you need to do to get ready, and be back down here in one hour. In one hour, if you are not ready, I will be upstairs to get you, no matter what stage of undress you are in, so that we can go and buy groceries. Then we are going to go see my sister, and then when we come home, I am going to cook supper and you are going to eat it. Do you understand? This is the situation we are in, and it will do us both good to become adjusted to one another quickly."

Rachel didn't say anything. She didn't do anything other than give her mother a quick nod and then turned to head up the stairs.

Shelby rubbed her face with her hand and sat down at the table. She hoped that she didn't screw this up. She hoped that she could make this work. She wanted this to work. She needed this to work.

They needed this to work.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby decided to go to her sister's first. Rachel had come downstairs with one minute to spare, dressed in knee socks, a black skirt and a white sweater with a horse on it. Shelby had thought that she was joking, but apparently the girl didn't own many clothes that were not knee socks, skirts, and sweaters.

Shelby knew that she was going to have to do something about that. Mainly because it was cold outside, and wearing skirts with knee socks was a sure fire way to get sick in the harsh Ohio winter. Plus, Rachel refused to wear the red jacket she had had on the day before.

"No." The word went all over Shelby.

"Give me one good reason why you won't wear that coat? It is cold outside. You wore it last night…"

"I have had that jacket for over a year and last night was the first time that I wore it. I was cold! One of my fathers brought that coat home to me, and I am pretty sure that you, who have known me for about eighteen hours now, would now me well enough to know that I would never wear that jacket! I refuse to. I haven't had a coat in two winters because I refused to wear it and told them so. I am sure they thought it was hilarious that I would be forced to wear it last night or freeze!"

Shelby watched her. She watched the hurt cross her face right along with the defiance.

Shelby left the hallway and walked up the stairs into her room and looked in her closet. She had more than one coat, and, though all of them would be too big for Rachel, any of them would be better than nothing. It was twenty degrees outside and Rachel was not leaving the house without a jacket on.

Shelby walked downstairs with a soft, black pea coat, and handed it to Rachel. Rachel looked at her as she took the coat.

"You will wear that until we get you another one." The statement was edged with tension, and Rachel could tell it, so she took the coat and put it on. She felt the material. It was soft and warm. And it smelled like Shelby did, Rachel could already tell.

"Thanks." Rachel mumbled, looking away from Shelby.

"You are welcome. Now, let's go."

They left the house and climbed into the car. Shelby was constantly thinking about the things she needed to buy that seemed to be adding up to quite a list. She had to buy food, a jacket, she had to get Rachel's phone and add it to her own plan, she needed to buy a few winter things for Rachel as well. The girl's skirts were simply not going to cut it in twenty degree weather. And, it was only going to get colder. Had her fathers no sense? Or had they simply let her buy whatever the hell she wanted?

Obviously it was the latter…the letter had said as much. But Shelby also suspected that it was part of the first as well. Two grown men had dropped off their daughter in the middle of winter at a house where no one was home. Obviously they had no sense. Damn fools. She wanted nothing better than to hunt them down and make them pay for what they had done to her baby.

"We are going to my sister's house first. You need to meet her and she needs to meet you. I called her to let her know that we were coming. It is best now, before her three year old, Aria, takes a nap so that we do not wake her. Her older child, Melody, is ten. Melody attends Lima Elementary and Aria goes to the preschool down the road from the high school."

"I don't want you to take me away from my school." Rachel suddenly said. She knew that she now lived in a different district, but that didn't matter to her one bit. She needed to go to McKinley. It didn't even matter to her that she really didn't have any friends. She needed one normal thing in her life right now.

"I wasn't going to make you go to Caramel." Shelby said, looking at Rachel in the passenger seat of her vehicle.

"Good. I don't want to go there. The only thing that I have is Glee, and I need to be able to sing."

Shelby could hear the tears in her voice.

"The letter your father wrote said that your dance classes are paid until summer. You can still attend those as well. Even after summer, I will pay for them if that is something you want to continue."

"Like you are going to want to take me to Lima every Saturday from eight in the morning until eleven." Rachel snapped.

Shelby sighed. This was going to be so hard.

"If that is something you want, then yes, I will. If it is something that you wish to give up, then fine. But you need to make a decision and once that decision is made, you will stick with it."

"I like dance." Rachel whispered, staring out the car window.

Shelby nodded.

"Good. Then every Saturday, I will take you to dance and perhaps afterwards, we can have Saturday lunches out before we come home."

For the first time since Shelby had met her, Rachel let a small smile grace her lips.

"I think I would like that." Rachel whispered.

Soon they were pulling into a driveway of a single story house with toys scattered out across the wide porch.

"Come on." Shelby climbed out of the car. She didn't have to turn around to know that Rachel was right behind her.

Shelby knocked on the door and when it was opened, her legs and waist were bombarded by two screaming kids.

"Aunt Wellby!" the youngest yelled, hugging onto her aunt for dear life and then putting her arms to be picked up.

"Hiya, Aria! Give me kisses!" Shelby said, facing the three year old in her arms.

The little girl kissed her aunt and then wrapped her arms around her.

"What about me, Aunt Well?" Shelby smiled at the older girl, Melody, who was ten and had given her the name Aunt 'Well' when she was younger than her little sister was now.

"Of course!" Shelby bent down and gave the girl a kiss. Then the toddler in her arms noticed Rachel.

"Who is that, Aunt Wellby?" Aria asked, and then hid her face in Shelby's hair.

"She is here to meet you and your mommy and daddy. Come on, let's go in. Come on, Rachel." Shelby said, smiling at the fifteen year old behind her. She was excited about introducing her family to her daughter.

Shelby followed the little girls into the living room where her sister, Kate, and her brother-in-law, Parker, were sitting on the sofa. They had seen Shelby pull up, the only reason they had let the girls answer the door.

Shelby set Aria on the ground and the little girl ran over to some of the toys that were spread on the floor. Melody soon followed her.

"Kate, Parker, I want to introduce you to…"

"Oh my word…" Kate said, moving her husband's arm off of her lap and standing up, her eyes wide as she stared at Rachel.

"You're Rachel. You look so much like your mother." Kate whispered, walking closer to the girl. Rachel didn't move. She didn't even move when the woman wrapped her arms around her. In fact, Rachel soaked up the affection that this strange, random woman was giving her. It had been a long time since anyone other than her boyfriend had hugged her.

Shelby noticed how Rachel melted into the hug. She hadn't yet hugged her daughter, and it pained her to realize that her sister had automatically known that it would be okay, that Rachel would accept a hug. Shelby swallowed. She had so much to learn about her daughter.

So much that it hurt. She had missed so much. She was glad that she was going to be able to change that. She was no fool though. She knew that it was going to take a while. It would not happen overnight.

But soon. Soon, maybe it would happen.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shopping with Rachel, whether it be groceries or clothes, was not something that Shelby wanted to do often. Not at all.

Rachel was a picky eater. That was apparent. And not only that, but Shelby had to read every single label to make sure that there was nothing the girl was allergic too, which was fine, except that Rachel said that she never really bought groceries so she didn't know what she couldn't have. She ate take out. Every. Single. Night. And always from the same restaurant. Apparently, they knew her well there. Rachel had given her an angry glare when she said there would be no eating take out like that at her house. They would cook most nights. Rachel had not liked that at all.

Shopping for clothes had been worse. Rachel had not wanted to buy pants. It was almost as if the very thought offended the girl. Apparently, anything covering her knees was offensive because Shelby had mentioned at least buying some leggings to wear under her skirts, and Rachel had sent her a look that probably would have left Shelby dead if looks truly could do such things. It had gotten to the point where Shelby had merely started pulling pants off the shelves and pushing Rachel into the dressing room.

"I am not coming out! I look stupid!" Rachel bellowed from inside the dressing room. Shelby rolled her eyes.

A woman close to her looked at her and smiled.

"I have two teenagers. It never gets any easier when it comes to clothes shopping." The woman told her.

Shelby gave her a frustrated smile.

"That's great." Shelby stood up and knocked on the dressing room door.

"What?" Rachel asked rudely. She didn't want to buy these stupid pants!

"Open this door."

"No! I don't have any pants on. I don't want you to see me!" Rachel said.

Shelby rolled her eyes.

"Now. You walked around the house all morning in a tank top and underwear. Open. The. Door."

Rachel sighed deeply and opened the door. Shelby pushed her way in and then closed the door behind her before sitting on the bench that was inside the fitting room.

"Try them all on. Again."

Rachel glared at her mother, but quickly looked away.

Ah, smart move, little girl, Shelby thought to herself.

Rachel pulled on a pair of jeans that she hadn't thought were too horrible. She buttoned them and then stood there.

"See! They look stupid." Rachel said.

"Come here."

Rachel walked cautiously up to the woman and almost moved back when her mother lifted her shirt up.

"Hold it up."

Rachel grabbed the edge of her shirt and stood there awkwardly.

Shelby looked at the jeans on her kid and pulled on the waist to see how much give there was. She looked at the length. They were a little long, but Shelby knew that she could ask Kate to hem them up if they were all too long, which they might all be because Rachel was quite short.

"Okay, try the next pair on and give me those."

Rachel sighed. What the hell was happening to her life right now?

Twenty-eight pairs of jeans later, Shelby was ready to strangle the whiny child in front of her. But, they had eight pairs of jeans that Shelby liked and Rachel tolerated.

"Good. Because you will be wearing them to school while it is cold outside since you refuse to wear leggings under your skirts."

Rachel sighed again. "Fine."

"Get dressed while I go pay." Shelby said, needing to get out of the tiny dressing room with the whiny child in front of her.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Rachel said.

"Okay. Can you do that and then meet me at the car? We need to head home after I pay for all of this. You can use my coat until we have a chance to look for another one later this week."

Rachel merely nodded. She was glad they were not going to look any more today. She wasn't used to having someone tell her what she could and could not wear and she needed time to process the whole ordeal that she had just gone through.

Twenty-eight freaking pair of pants. Each pair her mother had moved, nudged, pulled, and jerked on. Rachel needed a freaking nap. And she needed to call her boyfriend. Or text him. Something. She had to let him know not to go to her house.

Or, rather, her old house. She wasn't ready to let him know that her fathers had finally left her for good.

Just like his father had left him. For good.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was coming out of her bathroom after getting ready for bed that night when she noticed a box on top of her bed. It was small, and it had a note on top of it.

Rachel picked up the box and the note.

She tentatively read the note in her hands:

_Dear Baby Girl, Happy Birthday. Love, Mom._

Tears feel down her cheeks as she opened the box and looked at its contents.

A necklace with a golden star on it.

The first real birthday present she could remember ever getting…and something she absolutely loved.

Gold stars were her thing, after all.

Maybe this would all work out. Just maybe it would.

* * *

**AN: I am amazed at all of the feedback that I have gotten for this story so far. Thanks! **

**Obviously, our Rachel and Shelby have a long way to go. Remember, this is new to both of them. They are in an awkward stage, and they really don't know how to act around one another. I hope that you all liked this chapter as much as you seemed to like the first two. **

**I am not sure when the next chapter will be up. I am sick with a virus that is going around, and was only able to get this one out because it was pretty much already written. Next chapter will be out as soon as I can manage it though. **


	4. The Perfect Storm Out

**Chapter Four: The Perfect Storm Out**

The next morning, Rachel was up and dressed, ready to start the day by the time her mother had breakfast nearly finished cooking. Her mother had told her the night before that she had better not come downstairs in a skirt or she was going to take them and hide them from her, so, grudgingly, Rachel had on a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a red, long sleeved top with a white tank top underneath it, a red headband in her hair to match. She had even foregone a sweater because she felt they looked stupid under the jacket her mother was letting her borrow until Shelby bought her a new one. She hoped that her mother would let her pick it out, though at least she knew that her mother had better taste than both of her fathers.

Walking awkwardly into the kitchen where Shelby was setting part breakfast on the table, apparently she was going to cook breakfast every morning, and then she walked back over to the stove. Rachel stopped in the doorway, her hand trailing to the necklace that sat delicately on her neck.

Rachel walked over and looked at the stove and slowly, cautiously, slipped an arm around her mother and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"Thank you for the necklace. I really like it."

Shelby put her spatula down and turned towards Rachel, sliding both of her arms around her daughter for the first time. Shelby breathed in Rachel's scent, much the same way Rachel was breathing in hers. They stayed like that for several moments, both relishing in the fact that they were sharing their very first hug.

And it was perfect.

"You are welcome, Rachel. You deserve it and more. I am going to do my best to be a good mother to you." Shelby whispered.

In that moment, they both felt that they could stay like that forever. But they both knew that was impossible. Waiting until Rachel let her go, Shelby held on.

Rachel stepped away from her mother with a light blush on her cheeks, but a smile on her face.

"Go sit at the table. We have to go soon, so we need to eat. We have to be at the lawyers first, and then we have to go to your school. Since they are in opposite directions, it will take us nearly an hour and a half to get back to Lima."

Shelby placed a plate in front of Rachel. It had vegan pancakes with syrup on them. There was a glass of juice already at Rachel's spot.

"Since we are going to be at my school this afternoon and since you won't let me actually go to school, can I at least go to Glee? Please? We just won Sectionals on Saturday. I want to go."

Shelby watched her and tried to decide whether it was worth the fight or not. She wouldn't have practice with the VA kids until after the New Year. So, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to allow Rachel to go to her practice today. Shelby could stay around until it was over.

"Sure. We can stay until after your practice."

The smile Rachel gave her was totally worth it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The visit to the lawyer had gone well. Her attorney, Todd Brenton, had made copies of everything the Berry men had left her, as well as the papers that Shelby had kept about the birth. She told him the things that Leroy had told her before she had Rachel as well and he was going to file everything in the courthouse that afternoon. Once a judge signed off on everything, there would be no way that either of the Berry's would ever be able to get Rachel back even if they wanted too.

In fact, there was enough in the letter that Hiram Berry wrote to have both of them charged with child neglect if they ever came back into the picture. Shelby wasn't so sure they shouldn't be anyways, but she did not want to drag Rachel through any trials. It wasn't fair to the girl who had just had her whole, entire life uprooted.

Apparently, though, the Berry's had not been lying about leaving. When Mr. Brenton had called the firm in Lima where Leroy worked, he was told that the man had left town with no forwarding address. He hadn't even given them two weeks notice. They had just left. That was good. Shelby really wanted to talk to them, but she definitely did not need to end up in jail when she had a child to care for. But oh how she wanted to talk to those men.

That was also the moment that Shelby realized that the men really were serious about not ever having anything more to do with Rachel.

What horrible, horrible men.

Afterwards, Shelby and Rachel stopped by the house and ate a quick lunch before heading to Lima, which was forty-five minutes away. Rachel hadn't really said anything since the lawyer. Shelby had made her sit out in the waiting room for most of it, just having her come in and talk to Mr. Brenton for a few minutes to tell him what her fathers had done when they left her at Shelby's. She hadn't wanted to talk about it, but in the end she had when Shelby had walked out to use the bathroom. Some things, Rachel was not ready for her mother to know.

"I need you to think about anything that you need that your fathers didn't bring or that you need and they forgot." Shelby told her daughter while they ate lunch. Shelby had been trying to figure out if there was anything the teenager needed, but so far she hadn't come up with anything besides the pants, which they had already purchased, and a coat, which they were going to get later that week when neither of them had to worry about school.

Rachel looked at her mother for a few moments. There were a few things that she would like to tell the woman had not been sent, but at the same time she wasn't really sure if it was the wisest thing to do since their relationship was so new. And, what if her mother freaked out? So, instead, she simply shook her head no. She had only been with her mother for a barely two days and she did not want to ruin any relationship that they might be able to form like she had with her fathers apparently from the very start.

Not that she felt she was wholly to blame for her fathers. They were the ones who wanted a kid and then didn't want her after it was too late to back out.

Only, they had backed out. It had taken them fifteen years to do so, but they had in the end. Why couldn't they have found her mother ten years before? What type of relationship would Rachel have with her mother now if they had just given her back to Shelby? Or would she have chased off her too? Would she still chase the woman off? She had already mouthed off to her once. She had already been impertinent. Would Rachel be able to make it work this time? Were children supposed to have second chances with their parents?

Rachel didn't know. She wasn't sure. She was positive they didn't have third chances though.

Rachel looked across the table at her mother, but her eyes were unfocused. Shelby could tell the girl was a million miles away, her thoughts somewhere else. On another time, another place, another event.

"I want to go to New York when I graduate. I want to be on Broadway. It is my dream." Rachel whispered. Then she stood up and left the room, leaving Shelby there.

Shelby sat there for a few moments. Her daughter had just shared her dream with her. The one thing that she planned on doing with her life.

It made Shelby happy, but the look in Rachel's eyes still haunted her just a little.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby talked with Principal Figgins while Rachel sat outside his office and waited. She hadn't really wanted to be in the meeting, but when her mother had told her that she wasn't allowed to be in this one, it had made her angry. She hadn't really cared at the lawyers, but here it was different. What were they saying about her?

Inside the office, though, Shelby was merely relaying a condensed version of the events that had taken place for the principal. In other words, she merely told him that Rachel was not in her custody, her fathers, and if they were to show up, were not to have anything to do with Rachel and most certainly were not allowed to take her off of school grounds. In fact, the only people allowed to take her daughter off of school grounds, or to pick her up in case of illness or another necessary means, was Shelby and her sister, Kate. She also discovered that her daughter was not in the ninth grade, like she had suspected, but in the tenth, a year ahead of what she was supposed to be because she had skipped kindergarten.

"I am very serious about this Principal Figgins. No one is to take my child anywhere unless it is myself or my sister, Kate. She teaches fourth grade at the elementary and will be picking up Rachel every day after her Glee practice because I have my own practices to conduct and my sister is already here. If Rachel is ill, or heaven forbid, in trouble, you are to contact me and only me. If someone needs to come and get her, I will decide whether it needs to be me or Kate. I will, of course, be available for any necessary meetings, but I will need advanced notice unless it is an emergency. Caramel is over an hour and a half away from here, so it is not a simple trip for me to make during the day. I can plan better if I have advanced knowledge. I would appreciate it if all of her teachers are made aware of the situation, but that they not make a big deal out of it. This is a huge transition for Rachel to make. Any notes home need to be addressed to me, and I wrote down my email address and our current home address if anyone needs it."

Principal Figgins had only nodded dumbly. Shelby could see right away that this man had no control over this school. She knew that she was going to have to make sure that she knew what her child was up to at all times because this man was a complete moron.

Before long, the meeting was over and Shelby walked out of the office. She could tell that Rachel was not exactly happy about not being included in the meeting, but there were things that Rachel did not need to hear. She knew enough about the situation she was in, and Shelby did not want her to have to listen to it over and over. It would only hurt her, and Shelby did not want that.

"Show me the choir room. Glee will start soon." Shelby said. Rachel smiled, glad that her mother had remembered her promise to allow her to attend Glee practice, and lead the way to the choir room.

"Here it is." Rachel said, opening the door to the empty room.

"Hey, I am going to go to the restroom while you wait. I will be back in a bit." Rachel said, leaving before Shelby was able to even utter a syllable. Rachel had places to go and people to see.

Shelby sighed. She kept getting this nagging feeling that she was going to have to keep a close eye on her daughter, a child who was used to constantly getting her way if her fathers' letter was anything to go by. But, that was their fault. Shelby was not going to let a temper tantrum dictate the way she handled a child. Her students knew that she was no nonsense, and her daughter would learn that as well.

"Hello, may I help you?" a voice came from an open doorway off to the side of the room. Shelby assumed it was the man's office. She recognized him from the Sectionals competition that she had watched Saturday night. This was Rachel's coach.

Shelby walked over to him, her hand extended to shake his, and said, "I am Shelby Corcoran, I am…"

"I am Will Shuester. You coach Vocal Adrenaline, what are you doing here?"

Shelby raised her eyebrows at the man. Was that really a way to greet someone?

"Actually, I am not here in my capacity as coach, but for a completely different reason. Do you think that I could speak with you in your office?" Shelby said, her dominant personality trying to sneak its way out.

"Um, yea, sure." Will said. Shelby could tell that the man was nervous. He didn't understand why she was here or what she wanted. He was unprepared. Shelby made it a point to at least appear that she was always prepared.

Shelby merely smiled. She walked into the office and took the seat that Will offered her as he closed the door, and then he sat behind his desk.

"What may I do for you, Ms. Corcoran?" Will asked. He was nervous. He had heard stories about this woman through the rumor mills and she was legend. She was also very intimidating.

"Rachel Berry…"

Will shot up out of his seat.

"You need to stay away from my star singer!"

"Mr. Shuester, if you would please sit down. I am here to talk about her, not take her from you. Rachel is my daughter and is now in my custody for reasons that are not important to this conversation. As she will be going places with you because of Glee, I want to make a few things very clear where she is concerned." Shelby stated, giving the man an unrelenting glare.

Will swallowed.

"Your…daughter?"

"Yes. As such, her fathers, neither of them, are to have any contact with her. Since she will sometimes be away from school in your care, it is important that you realize that no one besides me or my sister are allowed to take her from a school event. No one else will have permission unless I personally tell you otherwise. I want to know that my daughter is safe."

Will nodded dumbly. His mind was racing about what he had just learned.

"I am sorry that I assumed the worst about you, but excuse me for it taking me a bit to process this information."

"I understand. I have had to process a lot of information since Saturday, so I completely understand. I would like to stick around for your Glee practice, if you don't mind. It is a forty-five minute drive back to my home, and it would be pointless to drive there and have to come back. Rachel wishes to stay and since I did not allow her to attend classes today, I told her she could. I promise I will not take notes." Shelby said jokingly in the end.

Will nodded again.

"Sure. I don't mind. We will probably sing a little bit, and talk about a school event that Figgins asked us to sing at when school starts back. You can sit in here and listen. The kids will not even know that you are in here because they can't see through the glass, but you can see out."

Shelby smiled at him, "Perfect."

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel's thoughts were nowhere but on her boyfriend when she walked back into the choir room. She had her arm wrapped his middle and he had an arm draped across her shoulders. He moved, and she moved and vice versa. They had just spent the last half hour making out heavily in the scaffolding in the back of the auditorium that usually sat vacant.

Noah Puckerman and Rachel had been dating since ninth grade. She had been only a few months shy of fourteen and he had been a few months shy of fifteen. Now they were fifteen and sixteen respectively, and they needed each other.

Both had gone through life so far with at least one parent who didn't want anything to do with them. They had been friends for longer than they had dated, but had decided to try dating after Puck had come to sleepover at her house in the middle of the night for the seventh time because she couldn't sleep. She hated being alone, and she was alone a lot at her fathers' house.

And, so far, it was working out. They had known one another so long that most of the times they didn't even need words. Puck sat down in a seat and pulled Rachel close to him. She sat down on his lap. Rachel wrapped her right arm around his neck and kissed him. She only stopped when Mr. Shuester cleared his voice when he walked in the classroom.

Obviously, Rachel was not aware that her mother was in his office, Mr. Shuester thought to himself. Or, maybe Rachel didn't care. He had told the woman that he would not tell the other kids that she was in there, mainly because Shelby wanted Rachel to be able to tell people on her own terms. Or, rather, the people that she could tell. There were some people that Shelby had to personally talk to about the situation whether Rachel liked it or not, which was why she had talked to Will Shuester and Principal Figgins.

Will clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. He really hadn't planned on doing much today; the kids were still on their Sectionals win high, add that to the fact there were only two days away from Christmas break, the kids were a bit rowdy.

"Okay, guys. I want to tell you all again, Congratulations on your win Saturday…"

Everyone clapped and shouted.

"Today, I want it to be a bit of a slow day. We have to figure out something to do for the assembly that Principal Figgins is holding the second week we are back in school. So, Rachel, you usually have plenty of suggestions, do you have any ideas? Would you like to show us any of your ideas?" Will asked her for two reasons. One was that he really would like to give Shelby a chance to see Rachel sing in her element and the other was that he really was at a loss right now, and Rachel always had ideas. Usually, she had a lot of ideas.

"Of course, Mr. Shue! I would love too. As you know, I always…"

"Blah, blah, blah, we know, Berry. You are always prepared. You are always fabulous. And you _always _get the solos." Mercedes said dramatically from her side of the room.

Rachel stood up from Puck's lap and put her hands on her hips. She was not going to let them talk to her like that today. She was not in the mood for it.

"I cannot help it if I am always prepared or if my voice outshines yours tremendously!"

"Oh no you didn't!" Mercedes said, glaring at the girl.

"You can sing really well, Mercedes, but background is really your thing. I mean, not everyone can shine all the time and you really don't have the consistent pitch needed to sing solos."

"And, Little Miss I-think-I-am-Perfect, not everyone should always shine."

"As long as I have anything to say about it, I will always shine. I work hard at what I do, which is something I can't say about you, Mercedes." Rachel spouted off, her face contorting angrily.

"Chill out, Berry." Santana said. She could see this situation escalating, and she didn't feel like jumping into any fights today. And, really, whose side was she going to be on? She didn't particularly care for either girl. One was too bossy and negative and the other was too dramatic…though she had to admit, she did like Berry a tiny bit more than Jones.

"Yea, blame everything on me. You all always do. That is fine! I don't need to take this!" Rachel yelled, turning and storming out of the room, slamming the door as hard as she could, in perfect fashion. It had been a good storm out even by Rachel Berry standards.

Will just shook his head. He was so used to these storm outs that he didn't even try to figure them out anymore.

"Okay, guys, why don't we take a break. Stay in here. I will be back in a few moments." Will said. He needed to let Shelby out of his office through the hallway door because he was sure the woman would want to find Rachel despite the fact that he knew Rachel would be back in ten or fifteen minutes. He didn't want to let the other kids go because he didn't want to break any fights up between Rachel and Mercedes.

Will walked into his office and shut the door behind him. The look he got from Shelby was not one he was used too, and, to be honest, it was quite frightening.

"What was that?" Shelby asked. Pointing out the two way glass that she could see out of, but no one could see in.

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

"She just stormed out of there and you did absolutely nothing about it." Shelby deadpanned.

Will shrugged, "She does that at least two or three times a week. She will be back and sitting on Puck's lap in ten or fifteen minutes."

Shelby dropped her chin and raised her eyebrows. This was a _normal _occurrence? It happened two or three time a _week_?

"That is unacceptable. I understand that you are new to coaching show choir and teaching, but you cannot let her run off like that when she has a tantrum. She may be your lead soloist, she may be the best voice you have got, but you also do not let her throw that in the faces of others who sing quite well themselves."

"I don't know what to tell you, Ms. Corcoran. I mean, I am used to it. I am not the only teacher here that is. Rachel likes to get her way. I know that that is probably not what you want to hear because she is your daughter, but it is easier to let her walk her temper off. She always eventually comes back."

"Well, as my daughter, she will not be back to Glee until after Christmas break for this little stunt. I will break her of this habit, and I ask that if she continues to storm out like that, please call me and let me know. I will not put up with the dramatics. She has a stable home now where the tantrums will not be tolerated. I will allow her to return after the break, after I have had time to discuss the topic with her at length."

Will nodded, thinking.

"I am sure that we will be seeing one another in the future. I must go find Rachel so that we can go home and talk about this now."

Shelby picked up her purse and started towards the opposite door than the one that Mr. Shuester had come in earlier.

"Ms. Corcoran?" Will stopped her as she started to walk out of the door.

"Yes?"

"I am not going to lie and pretend that I know why Rachel is the way she is, but I have suspected...I think you will be good for her. Just don't…don't give up on her. She doesn't like to give up control, but sometimes…"

Shelby finally offered the man a small smile.

"Mr. Shuester, do not worry. I may not have expected this, but I am in this for the long run. She is my daughter, and I have wanted this for a long time. Ups and downs make no difference to me."

With that, Shelby walked out of the office and, heels clicking, walked down the hallway. Just in time to see Rachel heading back that towards the choir room.

"Oh good, there you are. Let's go." Shelby said in a false cheery voice, causing Rachel to stop.

"I am going back to Glee…"

"After that little storm out? Oh no, dear child, you are going home. You can return to Glee after Christmas break. Let's go." Shelby said, gently latching onto Rachel's arm and guiding her out to the car. Rachel was shocked. She was so shocked, that she was not able to utter a single syllable.

She had just been told that she couldn't go to Glee…she didn't even know what to do. The ride home was eerily silent while both mother and daughter were lost in their own thoughts. Shelby was thinking about the way her daughter had acted in front of her school mates and teacher…and finding out that it was normal behavior for her daughter…and Rachel was thinking about what she had done wrong.

She couldn't figure it out, but one glance at her mother told her that the woman was not all that happy.

Forty-five minutes later they pulled up at the house and then slowly made their ways into the house after Shelby unlocked the door.

"Go to your room until supper. Then we will talk." Shelby told the fifteen year old as they walked through the door.

"Why?" Rachel asked, taking her borrowed jacket it off and laying it over the banister to the stairs.

Shelby narrowed her eyes.

"Because you are being punished. We will talk about it further over supper."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Rachel quickly said, staring at her mother.

"You call what you did in Glee nothing?" Shelby asked incredulously.

"You weren't even in there!" Rachel shouted, trying to regain some control in this situation that she currently found herself in.

"Do not yell at me, Rachel. I was in Mr. Shuester's office. I saw the entire thing." Shelby said, taking a step towards her daughter.

"Then you should realize that I was right! It was stupid! He was going to let me sing and…"

"Regardless of what was said, and we will be talking about that as well, you stormed out in a fit of temper, and come to find out, you do the same thing when you are supposed to be in your classes as well. Several times a week, always when things do not go your way. That is unacceptable, Rachel, because you are not a toddler."

"You don't have any right to send me to my room! That isn't fair! You are being completely unfair and ridiculous over this entire thing!" Rachel screamed, her face turning red from the anger she was exerting through her screams at her mother, her fists clenched tightly at the bottom of her shirt.

Shelby was not accustomed to being yelled at, especially by fifteen year old kids. Normally, they did what they were told and obeyed her every word.

Her daughter had apparently not gotten that memo.

Shelby gently grabbed her daughter's arm and pulled her to her side. In one swoop, she landed a resounding smack on her daughter's behind and then turned her back around.

"If you do not want another, I would suggest that you get up to your room like I told you. Now." Shelby told her, slightly shocked that she had swatted her daughter, but not enough that she let on.

Shelby's glare was unwavering, and Rachel looked away as tears pooled in her eyes.

"You are so mean!" Rachel yelled, and then jerked her arm away from Shelby so that she could run up to her room.

Shelby closed her eyes when the door slammed shut. Obviously that was something else she needed to inform Rachel that she did not appreciate.

Shelby walked towards the kitchen shaking her head. It was almost as if Rachel really, truly, did not understand that throwing temper tantrums was not a means to get her way. Surely, it couldn't be quite that bad, could it? Surely she knew why she was in trouble? Regardless, they would soon be talking about it.

Upstairs, Rachel pulled out her diary and, through her tears, began to write to her mother for the first time since she had been in her home. She used to write to her mother nearly daily, but since she lived with her now, she figured that one day she would just go and tell her about the things she was thinking. They were not quite there yet, though.

_Dear Mama, you just smacked my behind because I made you angry by yelling at you. You wouldn't even listen to me. You even sent me to my room for storming out of Glee this afternoon…but Mama, I don't really understand why you are punishing me for something I do all the time…_

* * *

**AN: Another chapter that I already had mostly written, so I figured I would share it since I got so many awesome reviews for the last chapter. **

**Again, our girls are still figuring one another out...it is going to take them time before they adjust. Shelby still thinks like Coach Corcoran, which is why she reacted the way she did to Rachel's little storm out/tantrum, and Rachel still thinks she can do whatever...so, anyways...thoughts?**


	5. Explaining Why

**Chapter Five: Explaining Why**

Rachel tossed her diary to the side and continued crying, her face in her arms, amongst all of her pillows. That was one of her favorite things about her new room. She had four pillows. In her old room, she had only had two, cheap, rather flat pillows, and most nights the second one was under Puck's head. Her fathers didn't really budget for extra pillows when they left her money for take-out and laundry service. Sure she had all of the top electronics, but she was missing essentials in other areas.

Rachel was glad that she had talked to Puck before she had gotten dragged out of school by her mother. She had simply told him not to sneak into her room until she told him that he could because it wasn't a good time right now. She knew that he took that as her fathers were home, a rare occurrence in and of itself, and that one or both of them were angry about something.

She sighed. She really did like being in her room here because it was large and the windows let in a lot of light when the sun was up, but she didn't like it now that she was being forced to stay and because she was upset. It wasn't fair, not really. She stormed out of glee and class all the time, why should her mother being around make it any different? It just wasn't fair!

Rachel sniffed and wiped her tears away with her hands. This really sucked. She was starting to get hungry too. She hoped that her mother cooked soon. Actually, she wished that she could order take out. It was Monday, and that was the day that that she ordered vegan lasagna. It was her favorite day. Monday's usually sucked, so she always ordered her favorite meal to make up for it. Surely her mother wouldn't make her miss dinner, would they? Her dads had done that to her when she was little, before she started going and getting her own take out every day when she turned ten. Then they didn't care anymore.

Rachel sighed and then sniffed again. She jumped when she heard a knock at her door and then turned her head to watch as the door opened.

Shelby stepped in the room. She had not yet cooked supper. In fact, she had only waited thirty minutes to come up and talk to Rachel because she had heard her still crying and wanted to talk to her before she became more upset.

Shelby walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, near Rachel's feet.

"I think that we need to talk." Shelby said gently. She thought about reaching out and touching Rachel's leg, but she didn't. She didn't know how Rachel would take it.

Rachel didn't say anything, but she did sit up and lean against her pillows, pulling her knees up to her chest and holding them there so that she could rest her chin on top of them and look at her mother.

Shelby took a deep breath. This was not what she was used to. She was used to her students. They cried, they left her auditorium until they could control themselves. She was not one to comfort her students, but she knew that this was different. Rachel was different. Rachel was her daughter.

"Rachel, the way you acted today was wrong. You deserved that swat you got, whether that makes me mean or not."

Rachel stared at her. Did the woman in front of her not realize that she didn't understand? That she didn't understand why it was wrong for her to storm out? She had always stormed out of places when she was angry. It was how she got the things she wanted. She had been doing it for as long as she could remember.

They were both silent. Neither of them really knew what to say. Was it Rachel's turn to speak, or did Shelby speak now?

Since Shelby had spoken last, Rachel assumed this meant that it was her turn to say something. She took a deep breath and looked at her mother.

"I don't understand what I did wrong." Rachel whispered. She watched Shelby's face for several moments before she looked down at her sock covered feet. Her shoes were on the floor, one in front of the bathroom door and the other in front of the closet because she had thrown them once she had come into the room earlier.

Shelby watched Rachel's face to gage whether or not the young girl was lying, but could see the confusion in her eyes. Rachel really, truly, did not understand what she had done.

"Rachel, you cannot yell at people when you are angry. It gets you nowhere and people will not want to be around with you if you cannot learn to control your behavior. The things that you said to your teammates before you stormed out today were inappropriate. Rachel, you need to learn to take criticism and not storm out. It has become a habit, but it has to stop. In ten years are you going to storm out of a job interview or a meeting because things did not go your way? It will get around that you throw temper tantrums and people will not want to deal with you, Rachel. I want you to become a productive grownup later. Along with that, what you did wrong, Rachel, is that you yelled at one of your peers, though in her own right, she was wrong for some of the things that she said as well. You also stormed out of that choir room. That was disrespectful to your coach and teammates. Mr. Shuester does not deserve that. I was also informed that you do the same in class when something does not go your way. Rachel, that cannot happen. It is highly disrespectful."

"I have always done that though…" Rachel whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I know. And people have let you get away with it. But I am not one of those people. Mr. Shuester has instructions to call me if you do so again. If you do, you will be grounded. I don't want you to be that kind of girl, Rachel. People won't want to deal with you later, and I want more for you than that."

Rachel's head was swimming with this new information. She had never been promised punishment for anything. Ever.

"You hit me though." Rachel blushed.

"No. I swatted your behind. There is a difference. I swatted you because your attitude was deplorable and you were screaming at me. You are going to have to learn to watch your attitude. I have seen some of it emerge before today, but today I saw it and I do not like what I saw. I also will not be yelled at, Rachel. You are fifteen. I think that you are old enough to express your feelings without yelling at me because yelling will get you nowhere. Neither will slamming doors." Shelby chastised lightly.

Rachel sniffed again. She couldn't stop crying and she didn't understand why. She never cried!

"I don't want to talk anymore." Rachel said.

Shelby watched her.

"Rachel, these are things that we need to talk about whether you want to or not. I know that you are not necessarily used to talking, but you are going to have to get used to it, I am afraid. You and I are going to talk. A lot. All the time. That is one thing that I can promise you. I want to know what is going on in your life. I want to know what you are doing. I want to know what you are afraid or what you need. I want to know everything. Everything."

"Can I write you a letter?" Rachel asked. She wasn't used to talking to people about those things, especially adults. Especially to women. Definitely her mother. But she had always written to her mother, so she thought that she could write her and tell her more. The first time that she wrote her mother she had been four and a half. She still had the letter. She had every single letter she had ever written her mother in her diary, either actually written on the pages, or if it was an earlier letter, it was taped onto a page.

Shelby thought for a few moments. She would rather Rachel talk to her, but if she wanted to write, then fine. She could write. It might take time to get her to talk to her anyways. They were both new at all of this, and Shelby really didn't want to push Rachel away. She wanted to pull Rachel towards her.

"Okay," Shelby nodded, "You can write. I will go fix supper while you are doing so."

Rachel nodded. This was good. Writing she could do. She wrote to her mother all the time anyways. Though, her mother had never actually read any of it before…

_Dear…. I don't know what to put here…_

…_I am worried. I am unsure. I am scared. I do not know you. _

_You asked me if there was anything that I needed that my fathers didn't pack. They didn't bring my birth control pills. I was going to skip school and try to get them, but after today I think that that would make you angry. _

_I am sorry that you are angry at me. I am not used to adults. I am trying though. I promise, I am trying._

_I like my room. Thank you. I love that my bed has so many pillows on it. I slept really well last night. _

_I know that this is not necessarily the kind of stuff you wanted. I am sorry if it isn't good enough. I will try to do better. I will try not to storm out of class and Glee. I will try to talk more, too. But, it might take a while…_

_Rachel._

Rachel gently tore the page out of her diary. It was the first page she had ever taken out and shared with anyone.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby read Rachel's note after supper. It was such a simple thing, but it spoke volumes to her. Her daughter had no idea how to be a daughter, but she was trying. And birth control…Shelby was not ready for that. Rachel only just turned fifteen and who knew how long she had been on birth control. But, Shelby's only response to Rachel had been 'okay'. What else could she say?

Shelby set the note to the side and looked up at Rachel who was taking a drink of her water.

"I will see what I can do about the pills. We will talk more about it later after I figure out how to go about getting them for you since it is not time for a refill. I am glad that you are trying, too, Rachel. We are both adjusting. Why don't you go up and study for your finals?" Shelby said, schooling her face so that Rachel would not see any of the panic that she felt.

"I don't need too." Rachel said.

Shelby looked at her. She wasn't sure what type of grades Rachel made, as she hadn't asked to see them when they were at the school earlier. Why hadn't she asked? She had so much to learn about being a parent.

"I would like you to study anyways. You can never be too prepared."

"I don't need too. I never study. I have never needed to study for anything." Rachel took another drink of her water. She wondered if she could talk her mother into buy soda the next time they went and bought groceries. Rachel didn't get to drink a lot of soda, but she liked it.

"I would rather you did, regardless."

Rachel stood up and stared at her mother with a smirk.

"Too bad I left my books at school then." Rachel said, and then walked out of the room. She was quite proud of herself. She had won that battle.

Shelby was just sitting, thinking. She felt so unprepared for this and Rachel had only been in her home for three days. Barely three days at that.

Her fifteen year old was on birth control. Shelby sighed. She was not comfortable with that at all. She did not want Rachel having sex. She needed to find out where Rachel went to the doctor so that she could get her medical records. She needed to know when the last time Rachel had had a physical and if there was anything that she needed to watch out for.

There were a lot of things that she needed to know.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Nearly two weeks later, things were still awkward between mother and daughter. They had spent Christmas day silently with one another. Shelby had bought Rachel a few gifts and Rachel had seemed surprised. She had been excited though as well, even though she had tried to hide her excitement. Shelby was surprised that Rachel had seemed more excited about the blanket and two pillows that could be added to her bed than anything else, even the new iPhone that Shelby had bought her to replace the phone that her fathers had cut off a few days before. It made Shelby sad that her daughter was so excited over something so simple.

It was nine in the morning on a Friday and Shelby was fixing breakfast. Rachel was almost always downstairs by nine thirty, so Shelby was cutting up fruit and making oatmeal with a bit of sugar because it seemed to be one of Rachel's favorite breakfast meals. Shelby had never cooked this much, but Rachel seemed to really like coming downstairs to breakfast on the table. All of their meals, really.

Today was no different. Rachel didn't smile often, but she always smiled when she saw that her breakfast was on the table when she came down.

"Thanks." She said softly, and then sat down in front of Shelby who was also eating.

"So, when does the laundry service stop by here? I have been here for nearly two weeks and they haven't come by yet. I am almost out of clean…um…underwear and lounge clothes. I don't really like to wear my school clothes around the house, but a lot of them are dirty too." Rachel said, taking a bite of her oatmeal.

Shelby laughed.

Rachel looked up at her, confused.

"Why are you laughing?" Rachel asked, her brow wrinkling.

Shelby stopped and looked at her.

"You are serious, aren't you? Your fathers paid for a laundry service?"

"Well yea. Doesn't everyone?"

"No, Rachel. They don't. I have a washer and dryer in the laundry room behind the pantry."

"So…I have to wash my own clothes?" Rachel asked. This was so not going to be good.

"Yes. I have to run a few errands this morning, so you can do it while I am gone. I will show you how to work the washer and dryer, like colors go together. Whites need to be washed together..."

Rachel listened only halfway as her mother explained to her how to wash clothes. But her mind was reeling. Seriously, she had to wash her own clothes? She had never washed her own clothes.

"…and you can pick up your room while you are at it as well. I have noticed that it is becoming dangerous to walk around in there…"

At least she knew how to clean her room. So much for a good day. She was going to be bored out of her mind all day if she actually had to wash and dry clothes along with cleaning her room…and, it wasn't _that_ bad. You could see most of the floor.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked. She hadn't been left alone since she got here. She was growing accustomed to the constant presence of her mother, even when they went all day without really talking to one another.

"I just have to run to the bank before it closes. I also need to run to the grocery store and pick up some more fruit. We have gone through a lot of fruit."

"Okay." It was true. They had been eating fruit every morning with breakfast, and sometimes Shelby would even cut up some with supper.

An hour later, after Shelby had helped Rachel start her first load of clothes and then left to run her errands after explaining the whole process to Rachel again. Rachel was starting her second load in the washer and putting the first load in the dryer. She was trying to remember everything that Shelby had told her, but her mind had wandered and she hadn't really paid attention. She had tried to watch and listen, though, so didn't that count for something?

After she started the dryer, thankfully successfully, Rachel started the washer. Then she went upstairs to her room and started picking up. She mainly just had clothes all over the place, so she piled them up and then went out to the stairs and dropped them over the top of the stairs. There was no way she was going to carry them all downstairs. It would be easier to sort them by color down there.

Soon, Rachel heard the dryer beep. She had heard Shelby tell her that much. Now Rachel knew what that beeping noise was that she heard randomly during the day sometimes. It would make sense…that must be how she always had clean towels. Her mom was still washing the towels that she left on the bathroom floor and hanging over the shower curtain. Rachel hadn't even realized that they were missing until now.

Rachel sighed. She really had a lot to learn about living with her mother. It was so complicated sometimes.

Rachel took the clothes basket and put it in front of the dryer and opened it up. The first thing she pulled out was her favorite sweater, the one she had been wearing the day her fathers had dropped her off.

Rachel gasped as tears pooled in her eyes. All she ever did was cry any more.

But this was her favorite sweater, and it looked like it would fit Aria now. Aria was three.

Rachel let out an angry sob and kicked the dryer with her shoe covered foot.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby put her purse on the kitchen table when she came in the door. That was when she heard the banging coming from the laundry room. She sighed. What in the world had Rachel put in the washer or dryer to make it bang like that?

Shelby took her jacket off and laid it over a chair and then made her way into the laundry room.

Just in time to watch Rachel kick the dryer, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Wow! Rachel Barbra! What are you doing? Kicking the dryer is not going to make it wash your clothes for you!" Shelby said, walking towards the girl and grabbing her arm as she went to kick the dryer again.

Rachel looked at her mother and then slid to the floor, her knees at her chest and her head buried in her arms as she sobbed, the shrunken sweater in her hands.

Shelby noticed the sweater and leaned down and gently pried it from Rachel's clutched hand.

Shelby sighed. The sweater had shrunk quite a bit. She had told Rachel to hang the sweater up so that it would not shrink, but obviously the girl had not been listening.

Shelby sat down on the floor beside her daughter and leaned against the washer so that she was close but not touching Rachel.

"Want to tell me about it?" Shelby asked, finally.

"That was my favorite sweater. It is the only think I ever remember my dad buying me without me having to ask for it. I have had it since I was eleven. I only wear it every once in a while on special occasions. That is why I wore it to Sectionals. Now I won't have it at all."

Shelby's first thought was one of horror. Her daughter could wear clothes now, at fifteen, that she had worn at eleven? But she quickly hid that thought and buried it away until later.

"Maybe we can find another one. We will look, I promise. Rachel, I told you that you have to hang that sweater." Shelby told her softly.

"I am sorry." Rachel said quickly through her cries.

Shelby shook her head.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. It was a mistake. Mistakes happen. It is okay."

"But it isn't. I can't make mistakes. I can't! Mistakes are for stupid and unwanted people."

Shelby sighed. She scooted over to Rachel and wrapped her arms around the sobbing teen. Rachel stiffened up at first.

"It will be okay. I expect you to make mistakes, Rachel. Sometimes you are not going to be able to help it. Mistakes are how we learn and grow."

"I can't make another mistake. Because, what if you decide you don't want me, too?"

Rachel fell lax against her mother and let Shelby hold her as she sobbed. It was the most comfort she had ever gotten from an adult in her entire life.

Shelby was horrified. Literally horrified. How did she make Rachel realize that she could make mistakes?

And then, before either of them even knew what was happening, Shelby kissed Rachel's head and softly said, "I love you."

Rachel only sobbed harder.

But she also slipped her arms around her mother's waist at the same time, clinging to her like she was a lifeline.

In truth, she was.

* * *

**AN: So, perhaps we have made a tiny step? Thoughts?**


	6. Too Old?

**Chapter Six: Too Old?**

Little changed over the next week except that Rachel and Shelby were now doing laundry together twice a week, something that, somehow, had turned into a bonding experience between the two, and the two finally had a bit of a long talk about the letter that Rachel had written Shelby.

It had been several weeks after the letter before Shelby was finally able to talk to Rachel about it. Shelby called Rachel down into the kitchen and they sat down at the table. Shelby slid the packet of birth control pills that she had finally been able to obtain after having to call Rachel's doctor who had prescribed them and then taking custody papers and other random written documentation from her lawyer to the doctor so that the she could get a refill. It probably would have taken longer, but Shelby saw the same gynecologist, so that had helped.

Finally, she had been able to get a refill on the pills after the side effects and such things were explained to her since Rachel was only fifteen and, according to the doctor, girls that young often did not know what to look for or expect even if the doctor told them straight to their faces. The doctor had commended Shelby for being so open minded about her daughter, all the while, Shelby had wanted to lock Rachel in a room, in a tower with no door, in the middle of absolutely nowhere. But, since that was not really an option…

"Rachel, do understand that since you skipped so many days taking the pills that it will be like starting over. You can very well become pregnant if you do not allow the pills to take at least month to regulate." Shelby had explained easily to Rachel as they sat at the table. The table had turned into their go to place for conversations. Shelby figured she was either going to have to buy cushions for the wooden chairs, or they were going to have to start having these talks in the living room so that they could sit on the couch where it was more comfortable for long conversations.

Rachel blushed and nodded. This was not something that she really wanted to talk about. It was a bit embarrassing to the fifteen year old. She had gotten the pills herself by forging one of her fathers' signatures because the health clinic where she could get the pills without a signature was too far to walk to from home. She had picked the closest place because she had to walk there. The only person who could or would have given her a ride was Puck, and that was way too embarrassing to have to explain to her boyfriend.

"Rachel, I know that you might not be comfortable talking about this, but it is important. This is something that you cannot play around with, do you understand? This is your health that we are talking about, and I don't want you taking chances with that, understand?" Shelby asked, watching Rachel's facial expressions to try and gage what her thought process was about the whole thing.

"Yea. I understand." Rachel mumbled, looking at her hands.

"Also, I know that I haven't really said anything about the letter you wrote me, Rachel, but I wanted to tell you thank you." Shelby spoke softer now, more relaxed. She had been trying to figure out how to bring up the letter since Rachel had written it.

Rachel looked up. Thank you? That was a new one. Adults usually didn't say thank you.

"Why?" Rachel asked. Shelby could tell that she was confused, that she didn't understand why Shelby was thanking her.

"Thank you, Rachel, because I am glad that you felt you could tell me those things. I know that you have not had an adult in your life who you could talk to, but I want to be that person. I am not saying that I am not going to make mistakes, Rachel. I might. In fact, I probably will make mistakes. This is new to me as well. But if you would rather write to me, about anything, instead of talking, I would very much like that. I don't want you to remain silent. Not anymore. Right along with that are a few other things that you have mentioned recently, too. I definitely do not want you skipping school, so I am glad that you didn't and told me what you needed instead. That is what you are supposed to be doing because I am your mother. You are supposed to tell me what you want and what you need. We will can always talk about those things. I also want you to know that you _can_ make mistakes. It is okay to make mistakes. I will be here to help you correct them if necessary, to explain to you why you were wrong. I will try and help you in every way that I can, Rachel. I am your mother. I am not only here to do those things because I feel like I have too. I _want_ to do those things."

Rachel let a tear slip down her face as she nodded. She could write. That would be easy. She had been writing to her mother for years even if the woman didn't know it. She still wrote to her. It would be handing over the letters that would be hard.

"I want to help you, Rachel. I want you to feel like you can come to me for anything. I want to help you get rid of your fears."

Rachel sniffed and Shelby gently handed her a tissue across the table. Rachel took it and wiped her eyes with it.

"I will try." Rachel whispered.

"That is all I can ask of you, Rachel. That is all I can ask."

Rachel nodded slightly and then looked at her mother.

"Can I have the letter back? I've never torn a page out of my diary. I'd like to tape it back in."

Shelby looked at Rachel and smiled sadly. She really wanted to keep the letter.

"Yes, of course you can."

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The night before school started, Shelby and Rachel were having supper with Kate's family. Shelby wanted Rachel to spend a little more time with Kate before she had to be alone with her so much during the week despite the fact that Rachel had ridden to Lima with her twice before school ended in December, as the teen was going to be spending quite a bit of time together with her aunt and cousins during the week since Shelby would drop off Rachel at Kate's before she drove to Caramel and Kate would not drop Rachel off at home until six at night. By six thirty, Shelby would be home and would cook supper. It would be like this until Nationals, more than likely, but then Shelby would have a lot of thinking to do where her job was concerned. She could easily find a job elsewhere. She wanted to see how Rachel dealt with everything until May though, when the school year would end.

"What is she cooking?" Rachel asked from the passenger seat. She was wearing jeans and a purple shirt, her hair was tied in a pony tail with a matching purple ribbon. She was also wearing her new jacket, one they had picked out nearly a week before. It matched the one that Shelby had let her borrow perfectly; only it was a smaller size. Shelby had smiled when Rachel had picked out that coat, but she had not said anything else about it. They had also picked out a black scarf, gloves, hat, and ear muffs. Rachel had not want the extras, but Shelby had told her that she had to wear them out or she would be in trouble because Shelby did not want her getting sick. Shelby did not understand why her child thought she was invincible against the cold weather, but over the last week nearly a foot of snow had fallen to the ground, now blanketing everything but the constantly clean swept streets.

Rachel had even tried to go outside one morning with wet hair, and Shelby had nearly had a cow. Rachel dried her hair before leaving the bathroom now to avoid her mom freaking out about her potentially getting sick. Rachel had been shocked when her mother had gotten upset about the mere thought of her getting sick. That was definitely a new one for Rachel.

"She knows that you are vegan and allergic to dairy and kiwi. She will have something for you to eat." Shelby said.

"What if I don't like it?" Rachel really just wanted take out from her restaurant. Her mom had still not driven her to Lima to get take out from the restaurant. It was hard for her to go without eating there. She had eaten from there every night for nearly five years. It was a hard adjustment that her mother didn't seem to understand. Not that her mother's food wasn't good…it was actually really good. And she made her three meals a day. Every day. Whether Rachel was hungry or not, Shelby wanted her to eat something at every meal. That was another knew one for Rachel. There were a lot of new things that Rachel was adjusting too.

"Are you sure that we can't eat at the…"

"No." Shelby cut her off. They had had this discussion nearly every day for the last week. She was going to have to have Kate stop by there one day in the next week so that Rachel would stop asking all the time. Shelby should have stopped after Rachel's Saturday dance class, but they had ended up eating somewhere closer to home. Shelby wasn't about to let Rachel eat it every day as she had for years though. Apparently the place was even open on Christmas day.

"Fine." Rachel huffed. Shelby ignored the attitude seeping off her darling daughter. It was usually better if she ignored it unless it got out of hand because Rachel would calm down on her own. It wasn't the first time that Rachel had gotten upset about Shelby telling her that they would not eat take out all the time.

"Aria and Melody have been asking about you."

"They barely know me."

"They want you to play with them." Shelby told her. Rachel nodded slowly.

"Are you sure that we have to go over there? I mean you could just cook dinner at home if you don't want to go to my restaurant." Rachel said. She was definitely hinting that she still wanted to eat at her restaurant. She missed it.

"Rachel, no. I am not going to tell you again. We are going over there so that you can spend some time with Kate before you have to ride all the time back and forth to school with her."

"Fine." Rachel huffed again.

Shelby was beginning to think that that was the only word that Rachel knew when she was upset. 'Fine'. She used it all the time, especially when she did not get her way when she wanted to. It was hard for Shelby to accept it, but she was trying to overlook it. Eventually, though, she knew that she was not going to be able to ignore it any longer. At least there really hadn't been any of the temper tantrums her fathers had mentioned in their letter, just the Glee storm out, and they had taken care of that.

"I want you to get to know my sister a little better. You are going to be spending a lot of time with her, Rachel."

"I don't understand why you think that I need a babysitter. I am fifteen and I have been taking care of myself for a long time." Rachel said, staring out the window.

Shelby reached over and patted Rachel's leg.

"I realize that, Rachel, but I refuse to be that type of parent. I do not want you to be at home in the afternoon or at night by yourself. By the time you go to glee and Kate drives home, you will barely be spending any time with Kate otherwise, unless I have a practice that goes later than normal, which you will then have to spend more time at Kate's. And you have to ride to and from school with her because you do not have another choice. You are not to leave school with anyone other than me or her. Your principal knows this, as does your glee coach."

"I know." Rachel said, sounding exasperated. She did know. They had had this talk before. Apparently, Shelby was quite serious about her not leaving school with anyone other than her or Aunt Kate. She didn't want her riding with anyone besides them without permission either. It all seemed very strange to Rachel.

"Good." Shelby said. She was starting to get fed up with Rachel's attitude, but she didn't want to upset Rachel any more than she already was. Shelby had to keep telling herself that despite the fact that they were both having to make adjustments to living with one another, Rachel was only fifteen. A very new, young fifteen, and she was used to running her own life without the help of adults.

They pulled up into the driveway and Rachel climbed out of the car, pulling her jacket around her tighter. It really was cold outside, and the snow wasn't helping. The boots that she was wearing were actually a bit small, but she didn't want to tell her mother that because she had already spent so much money on her buying the stupid jeans that Rachel didn't want to wear and the jacket that she was wearing that she loved. She wasn't accustomed to such things. She was handed money and told to buy what she needed, which were usually cheap skirts and sweaters so that she would have enough left over for takeout. The times that she didn't have enough for takeout always sucked, but she knew the people at her restaurant, and they always had something for her regardless. Her mother didn't understand that.

Though, she really hadn't tried to explain it either.

"Rachel, come on." Shelby said from the doorway just as it burst open and Aria and Melody came out squealing and hugging their aunt.

Rachel watched them for a few moments enviously. Was she ever that carefree? Had she ever been hugged like that? Smiled at like that? She didn't think that she had been. Though, her mother had held her a long time after she had cried when the dryer had shrunk her favorite sweater.

Rachel shook it off and walked into the house, past her mother and cousins, and into the kitchen so that she could sit down at a bar stool. It was becoming a normal place for her to sit at home, so she automatically went there at her aunt's home too. It was a good place to think because that was where her mother always wanted to talk to her.

Today, though, Rachel wanted to watch. She had a perfect view of the living room where Shelby was now sitting on the floor playing dolls with Aria and Melody.

Kate stood at the stove and watched Rachel. Parker was in the living room watching one game or another and Shelby was playing with the girls. Rachel was just watching.

"You know that you can go play with them." Kate said, walking over to Rachel and rubbing her back. Rachel looked up at her, almost as if she was just now realizing that she wasn't the only one in the kitchen.

Rachel didn't say anything. She listened to the little girls in the living chatter with her mother.

"Aunt Wellby, you be this one." Aria handed Shelby a male doll with blonde hair.

"And this one, Aunt Well." Melody said, handing her aunt a female doll with dark brown hair.

Shelby obliged with each demand.

Kate started to walk back to the stove when Rachel's voice stopped her.

"Am I too old to play?"

It was barely above a whisper. Kate could hardly hear her.

Kate was instantly back beside her and wrapped her arms around Rachel's shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"No, you are most definitely not too old to play. Why would you ask that?"

"She doesn't play with me like that. I mean…not that I want to sit on the floor and play with dolls, but all we ever do is…nothing. We don't really do a lot together. Except laundry. I am not good at laundry. I have never done it by myself before because we had a laundry service. Now we do it together twice a week. She cooks for me and sometimes I watch. When we talk we sit at the table. I got in trouble the last week of school. I have never been lectured really. I don't think she ever smiles at me like that either. I think she is afraid of me sometimes." Rachel was in her own little world, Kate could tell. She was talking to her, but not really talking _to her_.

Kate kissed her head again.

"Don't worry, Rachel. It will all work out eventually. It will just take time and adjustments. It will eventually all be normal. But, I can tell you, Rachel, that Shelby smiles at you just like that. Shelby loves you more than anyone in the world. I promise one day everything will be normal."

"I don't really know what normal is." Rachel said, her eyes glazed over as she stared into space.

That statement hurt Kate's heart more than the fact that the little girl in her arms thought that at fifteen she was too old to play.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

"Shelby, we need to talk." Kate said as she watched Rachel climb into the front seat of Shelby's SUV. Shelby had gone out and turned it on ten minutes before so that it would be warm when she and Rachel left.

"Rachel is waiting…"

"Shelby, this is about Rachel." Kate said, pulling her sister back onto the porch and waiting on her to face her.

"What about her, Kate?" Shelby asked, instantly realizing that something was wrong. She could feel it.

"She asked me if she was too old to play today." Kate said, watching Shelby's face.

Shelby had to admit. That was not quite what she had been expecting.

"Well, I mean, she is fifteen, so I guess it is normal for her to ask those questions, right?" Shelby asked her sister.

Kate shook her head.

"Sister, that is not the point. That little girl has never played a day in her life. She thinks that she is too old to play with, and that is why you don't want to play with her the way you do with Aria and Melody. Why you don't _smile_ at her the way you smile at my girls."

"I do smile at her…maybe not when she is looking, but I do smile at her….She wants me to play dolls with her?" Shelby asked, confused.

Kate rolled her eyes.

"No, Shelby. That is not the point either. She wants to know that you love her. She wants you to do things with her. She wants to be accepted. She told me that she doesn't know what normal is. That little girl has raised herself on skirts and take out and laundry service. She has no idea what it is to be a child and to be taken care of, Shel. She is fifteen years old and it is your job, not hers anymore. I know that you are both adjusting, but Shel…she is still hurting. She may hurt for a long time. But you have to make an effort to do things with her, Shel. Play with her if that is what she wants. Not dolls, obviously, but ask her what she likes to do. Sing with her. Take her to the damn restaurant that she wants to eat at, Shelby. Do something with her and stop being stubborn. Stop being Coach Corcoran with your daughter, Shelby."

"I'm trying, Kate! I am doing my best. I have missed fifteen years of her life, but I am trying!" Shelby said, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"You have to try harder, Shelby. She needs you. No one else in this world is ever going to rely on you like that little girl."

Shelby sat on a chair that was on the porch and put her head in her hands as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I am afraid that I am going to mess her up. She is so…perfect. She is my perfect little girl. I am so terrified of messing that up. I am not used to being a mother. All I know how to do is be an aunt to two little girls and a coach to teenagers."

"Little sister, that little girl is _already_ messed up. There is literally nowhere else for her to go except for up. Nowhere, Shel. She needs you."

Shelby looked up at her sister and smiled through her tears.

"I am going to be a damn good mom to her. I will make mistakes, but I will do my best." Shelby stated adamantly.

"I know you will, Shel. Because you have already done something no one else ever has: without a thought, you took her in. And you _never_ looked back."

* * *

**AN: Thoughts? Questions? Comments? I love to hear from you guys:) Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites.**


	7. Back To School Vegan Lasagna

**Chapter Seven: Back To School Vegan Lasagna **

"I don't want to wear them!" Rachel hissed at her mother with her hands on her hips and her neck pushed out.

The older woman was holding onto the pair of boots that Rachel had left beside the front door the night before and staring at her defiant daughter.

"Give me one good reason why you won't wear these boots. There is a foot of snow on the ground and it is supposed to start snowing again this afternoon before you get home tonight. You cannot wear flats in this weather, Rachel." Shelby told Rachel.

"They don't match what I have on. My flats are fine!" Rachel said, gesturing towards her black and silver flats that offered her little to no protection against the snow and cold.

Shelby wanted to role her eyes. Those flats didn't necessarily match the brown shirt Rachel had on either.

"Rachel, you don't even have on any socks."

"I don't need them!" Rachel insisted. Really, she didn't! When was she actually going to be outside anyways? She would walk to the car, into her aunt's car, then from the car to school. Then after school to the car and then into the house. It was so stupid that her mother kept insisting that she needed those boots!

Shelby closed her eyes for several moments. It was so obvious that her child had inherited her stubbornness. Rachel was so damned hard headed at times!

"I am going to tell you once more. Go get some socks and put these damned boots on, or we are going to be late!" Shelby said, never opening her eyes.

She heard Rachel huff and then she heard her stomp up the stairs. Shelby sighed and put the boots on the bottom step of the stairs and started to put her coat on. They really were going to be late if Rachel didn't hurry up. She was never late to work. She prided herself on that fact when most of her colleagues were late once or more times a week. Now she understood why since most of them had children. Obviously, she was going to have to wake Rachel up a bit earlier.

Upstairs, Rachel was looking for a pair of socks and shoving her flats into her backpack. She would wear the stupid boots right now, but hell if she wasn't changing out of them as soon as she got to school. Out of all of her shoes, those boots were the ones she hated to wear the most because they were nearly a size too small. At least her other shoes that were too small were only a bit. Rachel sat on her bed and pulled a pair of knee socks on, pulling her jeans up to pull the socks up, all the while thinking about the fact that she had not worn a pair of jeans in public in over eight years until her mother made her start wearing them right before Christmas break. She knew she looked stupid. Jeans made her look stupid. Maybe she should have compromised and worn leggings, but she had whined and said she wouldn't, so now she didn't have any leggings to wear under her skirts.

Rachel sighed and then went back down the stairs and sat on the third step and pulled on the stupid boots while her mother watched.

As she stood up she stared at Shelby with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you happy now?" Rachel hissed.

Shelby merely shook her head and opened the door.

"Very. Let's go."

Rachel stalked out the door. Yes, she was definitely going to throw these boots away at school one day. What could her mother do about it then? They would be long gone, and Rachel wouldn't have to wear them ever again. She would have to figure out when the best day to do that would be.

A voice in the back of Rachel's mind reminded her that if she would have simply told her mother why she didn't want to wear them, not only would she not have had to wear them, but she would probably have new pair by the Wednesday.

Rachel told the voice to shut up.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was dropped off at school five minutes before the bell was going to ring for classes. She could tell that Kate was not used to being late, and it made her feel slightly bad that it was, technically, her own fault since she had been so adamant about arguing about her foot wear that morning with her mother.

Once she watched her aunt pull away, she reached into her bag to pull out her flats and, just inside the door, changed out of her boots. She tossed her boots into her locker until she had to put them back on before her aunt picked her up to go home after school.

All thoughts of that morning were pushed aside, however, when she was gently pushed against her locker, and arms wrapped around her waist. She looked up into dark brown eyes and smiled.

"Good morning, Noah." She whispered, sinking into his chest. They had only gotten to talk to one another on the phone over the break, and neither of them were used to going more than a few days without seeing one another.

Puck smiled and bent down and kissed her.

"I missed you, baby." Puck whispered.

Rachel sunk into Puck's arms and held onto him tight.

"I missed you, too, Noah. So much."

"Let's skip class, Rach. We can spend the morning in the auditorium." Puck whispered.

Normally, Rachel was not one to skip a lot of classes. But, she had to say, she had missed Puck tremendously over the past couple of weeks.

"Okay. Let's go." Rachel said, turning to put all of her books into her locker. She wouldn't need them.

Together the two of them snuck into the auditorium, and then up on the backstage scaffolding.

Puck sat down and Rachel sat between his legs and leaned back against him.

"What is with the jeans, hot stuff? You look so damn sexy." Puck said, kissing her neck. Rachel smiled. Perhaps the jeans hadn't been a bad idea.

Not that she would tell her mother that. Not after she had sulked about them for nearly a week.

"I don't know. I thought a change might be good. I really missed you, Noah." Rachel said, wiping a lone tear away from her cheek.

"What was the deal with your fathers? They are never around like they were over our break. It was like they had you locked in a tower. Matt said even he didn't see you any." Puck asked her.

Rachel shook her head.

"I don't know, Noah. They…I don't really want to talk about it yet. Soon."

Puck nodded against Rachel's hair.

They simply sat, in silence, for a long time. They had always been able to do that for one another: Sit in silence, knowing what the other is thinking without having to talk.

They were rocks for one another. Rachel was the only person who Puck had ever let see him cry, and Puck was the only person that Rachel told the truth about her fathers too and never stormed away from. They had needed each other for a long time. She was hiding the truth from him now, the truth about her mother, but she would tell him soon. It just hurt too much to mention that her fathers had finally disposed of her altogether.

That was how Rachel knew that one day they would probably take their relationship further, though they had not done so yet. She was pretty sure that her mother automatically thought she was already having sex because of the birth control pills, but Rachel and Puck had not taken that step yet. They had come close, but both knew that they were not ready. They knew that it would change things for them, even if they didn't want things to change.

"I love you, Noah." Rachel whispered as she closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat.

Puck smiled.

"I love you, too, Rachel."

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel looked around to make sure that there were no teachers around and then quickly went into the bathroom. Right as she entered, she heard singing.

Fantastic singing.

Singing that might just rival hers given the proper teachings.

Rachel walked in the bathroom and stared at the girl in front of her, singing along to her ipod.

She was short, about Rachel's height, with dark brown hair. She was Asian, and her singing really was amazing.

Rachel's first thought was that she would be an excellent contribution to Glee.

Her second thought was, oh hell no. She is not going to get my solos.

The girl took out her earbuds and turned around and smiled.

"Hello! My name is Sunshine Corazon! I am new here. I am planning on joining the show choir and singing! I meet a group of fellow students who are in the Glee club here, and they told me that I would be a welcomed addition! What is your name?"

Rachel froze. They had what?!

Rachel reached out her hand and said, "My name is Rachel. I am here to tell you where auditions will be for New Directions. They are not in the school. Here is how you get there…"

Rachel smiled thirty minutes later as she watched the girl skip out of the bathroom. That would take care of that problem. She had worked hard to get where she was at, and no one was going to take that away from her.

Besides, it wasn't like the crack house was actually in use anymore…

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel looked around the parking lot after Glee, and then quickly jumped into the car with her aunt and cousins. She didn't want anyone else to see her. She sunk down in the seat as she buckled her seatbelt and then looked over at her aunt.

"Are you going to go?" Rachel asked. Kate shook her head at her niece's antics, unsure why she was acting like this. She hadn't acted this way when she had picked her up the first two times before school was out for the break.

Though, Kate thought to herself, Rachel had not been able to go to Glee those last two days, so the kids she spent the most time with were still in school. Now they were slowly trickling out.

Kate decided not to say anything, but drove off instead.

"Wachel, why are you hiding?" Aria asked from the backseat where she was sitting in her booster seat. Rachel knew that Aria could say her R's, but still the little girl insisted on calling her 'Wachel'. It was slightly embarrassing. When she had asked Aria why, she said that it was so she would match Aunt Wellby's name. Nothing Rachel said to the little girl could get her to call her Rachel instead of Wachel.

Rachel sat up straighter and turned to face the little girl.

"Don't be silly. I am not hiding." Rachel told her.

"Wachel, you are not supposed to lie. Mommy will get you."

From the driver's seat, Kate snorted. She reached her hand over and patted Rachel's backside to get her to sit back down in her seat correctly.

Rachel blushed and turned back around, tightening her seatbelt as she did so.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked, noticing that they were not heading in the right direction for home.

Kate smiled.

"Your mom gave me some money and asked me to take you by your restaurant so that you could pick up supper for you and her tonight. She said that you have wanted to eat there, and she thought today would be a good day."

Rachel smiled and looked at her aunt.

"Really? She said that I could get our supper tonight? Mondays are my favorite because that is when they make me vegan lasagna!"

"Yes, she did." Kate said, pulling into the restaurant parking lot. The place was called The Eatery. They were well known for their diverse food options, and the fact that they would cook to meet any dietary needs, just like the ones that Rachel had.

Kate parked the car and then helped Aria and Melody out of the backseat. They walked up to the sidewalk where Rachel was standing, excitedly moving around.

"Come on. You will like everyone here. They are really nice!" Rachel said, unconsciously grabbing Melody's hand. Kate smiled as she picked up Aria and walked behind Rachel.

Once they got into the restaurant, it was chaos.

"Rachel!" a tall, slender man with an arm full of menus said, walking over to the girl and giving her a side hug.

"Hi, Matt!" Rachel said with a huge smile.

"It has been far too long, little Berry. We were all really starting to worry until you texted Sal and told him that it would be a while before you got back. But, little Berry, that was three days you missed before you texted! You can't come one thousand seven hundred and eleven days in a row and then just now show up! We were going to call the Lima police department." The man, Matt, said.

"Sorry, Mattie. A lot happened. This is Melody," Rachel held up Melody's hand and then nodded towards her aunt and Aria, "That is my Aunt Kate and Aria. I am here for supper. For two." Rachel added, a smile blooming over her face at the thought because for once she could take food home and not have to eat it alone.

Matt nodded and then pointed towards the kitchen.

"You better go tell Sal that you are here. I am sure he will have you fixed up in no time."

Rachel smiled and nodded and let go of Melody's hand so that she could walk back to the kitchen, a place that customers were normally not allowed to go.

Kate watched as everyone Rachel passed stopped her to talk to her. She slowly made her way into the kitchen when Kate heard a shout of "Little Berry!" and then laughter.

What in the world had Rachel truly gone through at her fathers' house that she had worried the employees of a restaurant because she had not been in three days in a row?

Matt looked at the older woman and he could see traits of Rachel in her face. He could also tell that the woman was in her own little world before she finally looked at him.

"She really came in here every single day for over four years?" Kate had thought that Rachel was just embellishing the truth a bit when she had told Shelby that.

Matt nodded.

"Yea, she was quiet at first. I mean, she was only like ten. I had only been working in here for a few weeks. My dad owns the place, Sal. She told me what she was allergic too and then my father sat down with her and told her what he could make her. After she came in here for three months straight, getting the same vegan lasagna on Monday, vegan burger on Tuesday, pasta on Wednesdays…every day had a meal and she never deviated, my dad asked her why she came in here so much. She told him that her fathers didn't like to cook. One day, I followed her home to see if her fathers were even there. They were, and they were eating a meal, I could see it through the window. They didn't even ask her anything when she walked into the kitchen to put her food in the fridge. Over the next year, Rachel started to talk a bit more. We never got enough out of her to prove anything though…" Matt trailed off, realizing that he might have said too much.

Kate noticed, "She doesn't live with them anymore."

Matt nodded.

"Good. She deserves so much more. She doesn't have a lot of people to rely on, but here…she became like family. My father always personally makes her food, and then makes sure that she has something to take home for breakfast and lunch the next day. He never charges her full price either. He wouldn't charge her at all, but our Little Berry is a spitfire, and has to pay. I don't think that she has ever realized that she doesn't pay even half of the full price because she hasn't ever looked at a menu. And, sometimes, we know that she doesn't have enough money. We know that her fathers are…were…inattentive. But, she seemed happy, and since she wouldn't tell us a lot about them other than they were often busy, we didn't want to put her through anything that might hurt her in the long run like foster care probably would have."

Kate nodded. She was a teacher, so she knew what it was like to see children with inattentive parents who were not outright, physically abused. It was often very difficult to get help for those children.

"You did what you could. My sister and I thank you for that." Kate said, hugging Aria closer to her since the little girl had fallen asleep.

"It wasn't much, but we made sure she always had something to eat. Sometimes we could get her to sing for us. That little girl has always had the voice of an angel. The customers always liked that, too. She would just eat it up. We could all tell that she didn't get a lot of attention at home. I mean, what ten year old kid wants to spend hours every night at a restaurant? We have missed her around here though."

"She probably will not get to come around as much now." Kate said, regretfully. She could tell how much this place meant to Rachel and how much her presence meant to the people, perhaps the only ones who had ever helped her, who worked here.

"That is fine with us. We have watched her grow. Hell…opps…sorry about that," Matt said, looking at the younger kids despite the fact that one was looking in a gumball machine and the other was asleep, "my older sister had to be called in when Rachel…you know…started…and we couldn't figure out why she was crying or why she had locked herself in the bathroom here. She was thirteen then. My sister had to talk her through that because Rachel wouldn't go home. But, she needs attention more than any kid I have ever met. She craves it. We want her to have a loving family and not have to depend on a group of people at the restaurant that she just happens to like to eat at."

Kate's heart hurt at that information. Why had the Berry men been so stubborn? Why hadn't they tried harder to find Shelby sooner?

"Thank you, Matt. Without your family here, there is no telling what would have happened to Rachel. We are all very excited that she has come into our lives. Had we known…well, things would have been different."

At that moment, Rachel came back out of the kitchen carrying a large sack that Kate had no doubt was full of food. Rachel turned back around and grinned at the tall, broad man who was standing in the doorway.

"Thanks, Sal!"

Rachel walked over to her aunt, her smile never wavering.

"Here are the keys, Rachel. I will pay and then meet you out there. Melody can go with you." Kate said.

"Okay. Bye, Matt. I will try to get back sooner next time."

"Good deal, little Berry, see you later!"

Kate watched as Rachel and Melody walked out to the car. She pulled out her wallet from her purse and turned towards Matt, who was not accompanied by Sal.

"How much do I owe you?" Kate asked.

Sal shook his head.

"Nothing. Just take care of our little Berry. She deserves it."

Kate smiled at him.

"Don't worry. We will take care of her. I promise."

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was waiting by the door when Shelby unlocked it. She had been home for about ten minutes, and had set the table so that they could eat as soon as Shelby got home.

Shelby took her jacket off and smiled softly at her daughter. Rachel walked over to her and threw her arms around her.

"Thank you so much for letting me go to my restaurant! I really missed everyone there. Come on, I have the table set and everything!" Rachel said, letting go of her mother and then grabbed her hand so that she could pull her into the kitchen.

Shelby just smiled.

Rachel had just hugged her…she had hugged her just because. Shelby thought she could definitely get used to that.

* * *

**AN: So, there was a bit more Puck and Kate. I have had some questions about Puck, hopefully this answered them. Puck has no idea that Rachel is living with her mother. Rachel has told no one. What did you all think about this chapter? What do you think is going to happen next? I left clues lol. **

**Thanks for all of the reviews and follows and favorites. Hearing from you all makes me happy. Thanks!:)**


	8. Funking

**Chapter Eight: Funking**

Two days later, Shelby had just dropped Rachel off at Kate's and was on her way to Caramel. She had gotten a new student the day before that had apparently been traumatized by a student at her previous school, wherever that had been. Shelby hadn't cared where she was from. Normally, Shelby didn't take in new singers this late in the year, but she could sing though, so Shelby hadn't even bothered asking her any more questions.

Today she had to rework the set list for Regionals to incorporate the girl. It was going to be a long day. She could just feel it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

"Rachel!" Puck yelled down the hallway. They hadn't seen one another all morning, mainly because Puck had skipped school that morning. Rachel stopped and turned towards him, smiling.

"Hey, baby." Rachel said, standing on the tips of her toes and kissing him when he bent down.

"A few of us are going to funk the glee club that took Sunshine Corazon." Puck whispered.

Rachel's eyes widened and then she smiled. She had effectively gotten rid of Sunshine in less than a day, and while she suspected that everyone knew that it was her, no one was really saying anything about it.

"When will we leave?" Rachel asked.

"I figured that you and I could leave now and go eat lunch somewhere, and then we could pick up Santana, Quinn, Kurt, and Finn. I am not sure where it is at, but Kurt knows."

Rachel smiled.

"Okay, what are we going to do to them?" Rachel was actually looking forward to this more and more.

This is when Puck really smiled. This was why they had asked him to come along. He had been planning it since last night.

"I have about four dozen cans of whipped cream I lifted from the super market over the last couple of days in my truck. We are going to go in there before they start practice after school and we are going to cream their entire stage…if we have time, we are going to try and get some of the chairs too. I think Kurt has some sand or rocks or some shit like that. All I know is that there is no way that they will be practicing when we are finished because the mess is going to be everywhere."

Rachel smiled. Normally she was not much for things like this, but she was glad to be rid of Sunshine and thought it might actually be fun if they skipped school and actually left the school grounds. It was something Puck did often, and for once she was glad to join him.

As long as her mother didn't find out, she suddenly realized. She had been told not to skip school. She had been told not to ride in vehicles with other people besides her mother and her aunt. But, this was Puck, and her mother would probably never find out about either of them.

"Okay. I can't wait!" Rachel said, a huge smile on her face as the pair walked out of the school and to Puck's truck.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

After they had eaten…they had started to eat at The Eatery, but Rachel had thought better of it since it was in the middle of the day and she was supposed to be at school…at Breadstixx, they had gone back to pick up everyone else.

The truck luckily had a backseat, but it was still packed tight. Puck was driving, Rachel was sitting on the console leaned up against Puck, Finn was sitting in the front seat and Santana, Quinn, and Kurt were sitting rather closely in the small backseat.

They had been driving for nearly forty-five minutes when Rachel started to get a very bad feeling about this trip. It was nearing two o'clock, and she had no idea where they were going.

"Kurt, where is this school? You never did say." Rachel asked carefully as Puck drove past the road that would have lead them all to her new home had they been going that way.

"Oh, my bad, little Diva. It is a place called Caramel. The coach, Shelby Corcoran, is said to be a total badass. They have won Nationals four years in a row and they are a shoe in for it this year according to all the blogs that I have read."

Rachel felt like her heart had just plummeted to her stomach. Oh shit. This was so not good.

"Ah. Okay. Well…we better not get caught doing this." Rachel said weakly. What else was she supposed to say? She hadn't told them that Shelby Corcoran was her mother and that she was now living with her. No one had even noticed that she was riding home with her aunt after school. How had she known that Sunshine would go to the one school that her mother worked at? Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Of course we aren't going to get caught. That is why we brought Puck." Kurt said.

Rachel sunk into her boyfriend. She sure hoped that they were right. She definitely did not want to get caught skipping school and destroying her mother's auditorium. Not that she was afraid of the woman. Her mother was kinda like a kitten…she tried to be scary and all demanding, but she just wasn't really all that good at it.

Ha. Who was she kidding?

Nearly forty-five minutes later, just at two thirty-five, the kids climbed out of Puck's truck, each with a backpack full of whipped cream and colored sand that Kurt had randomly brought. Rachel stepped out of the truck and stepped directly into a puddle of ice, cold water.

"Fuck!" She hissed.

Santana looked up at Berry, her eyes wide. Who knew that man-hands, Berry had a curse word in her?

"Guys, come on! Berry! Shake it off, it is just a bit of water. You will live." Quinn snapped as they made their way up to the school and then into a back door of the Caramel Auditorium.

"Kurt, Santana, seats. Finn, Quinn, floor. Rach and I will get the stage." Puck said, rushing around and pointing at different points.

Rachel simply stared at first. This auditorium was immaculate. She really did feel bad about what she was fixing to do. Like, really bad. But she knew that if she backed out, Puck would know that something was up and the others would probably hate her more than they already did.

"Come on, Rachel!" Puck whispered, stopping when she sneezed twice. There was no one in the dark auditorium, but they needed to hurry because they wouldn't have long and they definitely needed to be quiet..

Quickly, Rachel rubbed her nose and then pulled the bag off of her shoulder and pulled out the cans of whipped cream. She could see Kurt toss one to the side. He had already gone through two whole cans.

Rachel sighed. She sighed and then pulled out two cans of whipped cream, and began drawing on the blank canvas that was the Caramel stage. Star after star, she drew. Within fifteen minutes, she had gone through ten cans of the cream and then pulled out the sand that Kurt had shoved in her bag.

She smiled. It was gold sand. She grabbed the heavy bag and started to sprinkle it all over the stars.

"Shh!" Puck suddenly whispered, standing up straight from where he had been drawing graffiti like art with his whipped cream.

Rachel looked at him, concerned. What was going on?

"Rachel! Up top! Hide!" Puck said, pointing towards the top of the auditorium where Santana, Finn, Quinn, and Kurt were already headed because they had heard Puck.

Rachel dropped her bag of gold sand and then started to run up to the top, Puck ran by her and then grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Everyone, get down. Hide behind the last row of seats that are against the wall!" Puck hissed. He had hid plenty in his life, and if they didn't want to get caught, they needed to listen.

Soon, they were all hidden, though Finn was more lying on the floor since he was so big, and just in time too, as several people came out onto the stage.

"What the hell!" Someone yelled as the stage lights were turned on.

"Someone needs to go get Coach Corcoran! She is going to be so pissed about this." Another voice said.

Rachel cringed. Oh shit. They had to stay perfectly quiet. And still. Her mother could not see them.

Why couldn't they disappear out of here? Wouldn't that be fantastic?

"I'll go get her. She was just finishing up in class when I passed her classroom a bit ago. She should be on her way to her office." Yet another voice said. Rachel wanted so badly to peek over the chair, but Puck, who knew her and knew how she thought, tapped her and shook his head no. That was a sure fire way to get caught.

For another five minutes, they listened to the VA students discuss what had happened, but the moment a side door opened, they were immediately quiet.

Rachel knew automatically that it was her mother by the click of her heels. Her mother always sounded that way in the mornings before they left and then after school until she took her heels off.

"What happened in here? Does anyone know?" Shelby Corcoran asked her students. Her hands were on her hips as she surveyed the colossal mess that was in front of her. There was something…either whipped cream, mousse, or shaving cream…all over her auditorium and she was not happy about it at all.

"We walked in and it was like this, Coach C." one of her seniors, Jesse St. James said.

"Look at the floor, Coach." A girl, Giselle, said pointing at the floor.

It was a large sun, the middle of it full of what looked like yellow sand.

There were stars on the stage floor, one or two full of golden sand, but a bag of the stuff had been dropped.

They were still here, Shelby realized, because they had to hide in a hurry when they heard people coming into the auditorium.

Shelby stepped out of the bright lights of the stage so that she could look over the seating area.

As she was doing so, the rest of her VA students, including the new girl, Sunshine Corazon, came into the auditorium, but stopped when they noticed the mess.

Suddenly, Shelby saw movement, like someone was trying to get comfortable. The top of a head popped up and then was hidden again.

Wait a minute…she knew that hair and that headband. The golden sand and stars suddenly made a little bit of sense.

Shelby suddenly became furious.

"Rachel Barbra Berry! Come down here this moment!" Shelby yelled.

Everyone in the large room froze. The VA kids were trying to figure out who their coach was talking too.

Behind the seats at the top of the auditorium, Rachel froze and then looked over at her school mates.

"What the hell, Berry? How does that woman know your name?" Santana hissed. Santana was not afraid of anyone, but even she flinched a bit by the bite that was in the VA coach's voice when she had yelled for Rachel to come down there to her.

"Yea, Rachel, what is going on?"

Rachel was frozen.

"Rachel Barbra! I am not joking. Get down here." Shelby yelled again. The VA kids were backing up from her. They knew what Shelby Corcoran was like when she was angry, and she was angry. Her feet were spread shoulder width apart and her hands were on her hips. The only thing missing were the flames that were surely blazing out of her eyes.

"Rachel, you cannot go down there. I know that I say shit about you all the time, but I don't want you dead! That woman is hella scary!" Quinn hissed at her. Kurt was nodding in agreement.

"Rachel, if I have to come up there you are not going to be happy!"

"Guys, I have to go down there."

"Why? That crazy loca is going to murder you!" Santana hissed.

Rachel closed her eyes, and then she heard her mother's heals clicking up the steps. Shit.

Rachel's eyes shot open and she looked at the other five people beside her.

She jumped up, and when she did, Shelby stopped walking up the stairs.

"Well, well. Look what I have here. Rachel. How nice of you to finally join us."

"Rachel! Stop! She is going to get you into trouble." Kurt yelled.

Rachel looked down at them.

"Guys, I have too. She is my mom and I live with her now." Rachel said and then swallowed. Her throat was suddenly so dry. As she was doing so, a voice from down below yelled:

"She is the one who sent me to the crack house! What is she doing here?"

What the hell, Rachel thought, thank you so much, freaking Sunshine Corazon. Why couldn't you have gone to any other school besides the one in which Shelby Corcoran worked?

Shelby's eyes were on a completely different level of angry now.

"Rachel. Get down here. Now. I will not tell you again." The voice was deadly on so many levels. It was a tone that Rachel had not heard in the entire month that she had lived with her mother.

Suddenly, Rachel finally braved it and looked at her mother, eyes pleading for some reprieve, anything that would make her mother stop looking at her like she currently was.

"Mama…I can explain…"

Everyone froze again. New Directions froze because it was true, Shelby Corcoran was Rachel's mother. Vocal Adrenaline froze because they had no idea that Coach Corcoran had a daughter. Rachel froze because she had finally called her mother the name she had been calling her in her mind for years.

And, Shelby Corcoran froze so that she could hide her tears of happiness because her little girl had finally called her mama, and, despite the fact that said little girl was in a lot of trouble, being called mama almost erased all of the anger that Shelby currently felt.

* * *

**AN: I was not going to post this until tomorrow, but I had so many awesome reviews, that I figured I would go ahead and post this chapter...plus I was super excited about posting this one lol. **

**I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. A lot of times, those things help my thought process when I am writing. **

**Thanks to everyone!**


	9. You Reap What You Funk

**Chapter Nine: You Reap What You Funk**

Rachel was standing several steps above her mother.

So, yea, her mother most definitely was not a kitten, and she was kind of scary right now. The look Rachel was getting was actually very frightening in the foreboding sense that Rachel knew that she was in trouble.

"Mama?" Rachel asked softly, the name still unfamiliar when she spoke it out loud. She wanted the woman to say something, anything really, to let her know how much trouble she might be in because the woman sure didn't look particularly happy.

"How many of you are here?" Shelby asked as she finally crossed her arms over her chest.

Rachel swallowed and shrugged. Did this really have to take place in front of all of these people? Maybe she really didn't want her mother to say anything to her yet.

"Rachel, I am not in the mood for this. I have a practice to run, yet now I have to deal not only with your disobedience, but with the mess that is now in my auditorium, a mess you, my daughter, helped cause. Do you have any viable excuse for anything that has happened today?"

Rachel looked up at her mother. This was so not fair!

"Obviously not."Rachel mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Rachel Barbra, how did you get here? How many classes did you have to skip to ride here, over an hour and a half away from your own school? I am going to guess that your boyfriend is also here. His name was Noah, correct? Noah, get down here. Now." Shelby demanded.

Rachel glared at her mother.

"This is ridiculous!" she hissed at her mother, her hands making their way up to her hips and her body bowing up at her mother.

The VA students, wherever they were in the auditorium, took another step back, watching where they stepped to avoid the whipped cream. All except Sunshine, who didn't know enough to be afraid of what was happening in front of her.

People just did not challenge Coach Corcoran.

"Rachel…"

"Ugh! You are ridiculous!" Rachel said, and then turned to storm up the steps and away from her mother.

She was stopped, however, when Shelby grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards.

How had her mother gotten up those few steps that quickly?

"Noah, and whoever else is hiding from me, had better be down here sitting within the next few minutes. I mean it. Believe me, I will know if everyone is not down here. There are security cameras in this building everywhere." Shelby said, and then pulled Rachel with her towards her office.

Rachel tried to pull her arm out of her mother's grip, but Shelby had a tight hold on her upper arm and was not letting go.

Rachel's struggling against her was also not helping Shelby's mood any either. In fact, it was going the opposite.

VA students quickly got out of the way as Shelby pulled her daughter closer to her office; once in there, Shelby shut the door firmly behind her.

"What was that, Rachel Barbra?" Shelby asked, staring at her daughter.

Rachel's eyes narrowed.

"You are being so freaking unbelievable about this whole thing! Shit!" Rachel said, struggling harder against her mother to try and get her to let go of her.

It did nothing, as Shelby only pulled her closer and then let a swat fall on her backside, followed directly by another. Shelby was thankful that her blinds were drawn on the one window of her office.

"You need to calm down. Sit at my desk, now. You can write lines until I come back in here. Consider yourself in detention!" Shelby told her daughter, leading her over to her plush office chair.

Rachel glared at her mother, a sheen of tears glazing her eyes from the two smacks. This time they had not hurt her feelings like the one swat her mother had given her previously, nearly a month ago. This time they were just embarrassing.

A detention? Was she freaking serious? Her mother couldn't give her detention!

"I am going to talk to your friends, call Mr. Shuester, and call your friends' parents. You will do well to obey me and not get out of that chair." Shelby said pointedly, leaning over on a yellow legal pad and writing across the top.

"You are so unfair." Rachel mumbled to herself.

"What was that, sweetheart?" Shelby asked in a sarcastically sweet voice, looking up from where she was leaning over the desk writing.

Rachel sighed.

"Nothing." She pouted, sniffing and crossing her arms over her chest petulantly. This sucked so much!

"That is what I thought. Here." Shelby said, sliding the legal pad across her desk.

Rachel stared at the line across the top:

_My negative actions have consequences, and while it is perfectly okay to make mistakes, I must own up to them when I know that I am in the wrong. Skipping school, lying, breaking and entering, and destruction of property, as well as my abhorrent attitude will not be tolerated and I will attempt to not make these same mistakes in the future. _

"You can write that three hundred times. You may start now. I will be back to check on you in a bit." Shelby said, then walked out of the door, leaving it open this time.

This sucked. Three hundred times? That woman was insane. That line was crazy long and this was not Rachel's school, so why should she have detention? So what if it was her mother.

"Ugh." Rachel said, grabbing the stupid pen and legal pad.

It made Rachel a bit angry to know that there was probably no way that she could get out of writing these stupid, childish sentences.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby stared at the five kids in front of her. She had asked them nothing other than their names: Puck, Kurt, Quinn, Santana, Finn. She had only needed their names so that she could call Will Shuester and tell him that she had six of his students here, and get their parents' phone numbers.

Right now, she was pacing back and forth in front of them. She had told her students that she would give them the night off if they cleaned the auditorium, and they were hard at work. She hadn't wanted to make them clean it at all, but it had to be done before something was ruined, and she did not want to let these children out of her site until their parents came to get them.

Now, though, she had to call Mr. Shuester.

She picked up her cell phone and quickly went through her contacts until she found the number she had placed in her phone nearly a month before.

It rang twice.

"_Hello?"_

"Hello, Will? This is Shelby Corcoran."

"_Oh, hello. What can I do for you?"_

"I have six of your students here with me. One of them is my daughter, so obviously I can deal with her; however, there are five other students whose parents need to be called. They all thought it would be a good day to funk my students; however, by the massive amounts of whipped cream that was used, I think they were more concerned about ruining my stage and seating. My students are currently cleaning up their mess, while I keep an eye on them." Shelby said into the phone, eyeing each of the five delinquents in front of her carefully. Not one of them would make direct eye contact with her.

On the other end, Will sighed. He had been afraid that something like this would happen when Sunshine left for Caramel. But he surely hadn't expected Rachel to go there and cause any problems. Not with that being her mother's school.

"_Which students are there? I am assuming that this has to do with Sunshine moving to your school."_

"Apparently so. Were you aware that my daughter sent her to a crack house? The students I have in front of me are Puck, Santana, Quinn, Kurt, and Finn. I am not yet sure which drove…" Shelby looked at the kids and one by one they pointed at Puck.

"Ah, it seems that our Mr. Puckerman drove everyone. Regardless, I want parents here."

"_I figured that those would be the ones you had. For Quinn and Santana, you need to call Maribel Lopez. That is Santana's mother. She will pick them both up. Quinn stays with her as much as she stays with her own parents, and her parents will more than likely not come anyways. Mrs. Lopez with make sure that she understands her wrongdoings though, just as she will Santana. Kurt and Finn are stepbrothers. You can call either of their parents and they will be there soon. There is no one to call for Puck. His mother works all night and she sleeps all day. She is nearly impossible to get a hold of. Puck drove their anyways, so you might as well let him leave. Tell him that he personally has detention with me. The other kids will face punishment from their parents for this stunt, so he can have detention."_

Shelby nodded as she listened to the man talk. It astounded her that parents could just not _care_.

"I suppose that will work. I will get the numbers from the children. Now, what about my daughter sending Sunshine to a crack house? Did you know about it?" Shelby asked.

She heard Will clearing his throat.

"_I knew something happened, but I wasn't positive that it was Rachel. I suspected that it might have been though."_

"Okay. You do not have to worry about that either. I will be discussing that with Rachel at length as well. Thank you, Will. I will be in touch."

A short time later, Shelby hung up her phone and then put her hands on her hips.

"Okay. Who wants to go first?"

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel had written three and a half lines when she started going through her mother's desk. There were five drawers, four small and one big. The big one had sheet music in it. It was kind of boring to look through after a while, despite how much Rachel liked looking at sheet music.

The small drawer on the right, above the big one, had random pens, pencils, and bits of paper. Another boring drawer.

In the bottom draw of the left, was food. Candy bars, energy bars, tea bags, sugar packets, and plastic silverware. Boring. Though, it did make Rachel a bit hungry. She didn't dare eat any of it though because she had never eaten any of the brands or types of things that were in the drawer.

Rachel suddenly realized that she depended on her mother for that. She hadn't tried anything new since she was ten and ate at the Eatery until her she started living with her mother. There, though, she had told Matt and Sal what she was allergic too and they made sure that she didn't eat anything with those ingredients. At Breadstixx, she always got the same plain salad with an oil and vinegar dressing, despite not really liking it.

At her mother's house, though, she had been able to try all kinds of new things because her mother made sure that nothing she was allergic too was in the things that they ate. Her mom even used her milk when she cooked their food. Rachel absolutely loved mashed potatoes, something she had never really gotten to eat. Her mom also made gravy to go over them, another love of Rachel's now. Rachel had no idea how she managed it, but she didn't care. Her mother was definitely an amazing cook.

The next drawer, to Rachel's amusement, held a simple pair of flats. It was amusing because her mother usually had on heels. Even when she made Rachel wear her stupid boots…

Oh…Rachel had left her boots at school. Shit that sucked. Her mom was going to notice that really quickly, plus her pants leg and shoe were still wet from the puddle she had stepped in earlier.

Thinking about it made a shiver run up Rachel's spine, causing Rachel to realize that she was rather cold now that she thought about it. She shrugged it off and then opened the last drawer.

In this drawer was a calculator, grade book, and papers that looked like they needed grading. Rachel just shut the door. She was pretty sure that she shouldn't be in that drawer.

Next Rachel turned around and looked on the filing cabinet. There were pictures of Aria and Melody.

Rachel's feelings were suddenly hurt. Her mother did everything with Aria and Melody, and now she even had pictures of them in her office. There wasn't a picture of Rachel.

What did she expect though? Why should she expect there to be pictures of her in her mother's office?

But still, there were some of Aria and Melody.

Rachel's shoulders slumped down.

"Your pictures are on top of the other filing cabinet."

Rachel jumped and turned around, staring at her mother who had suddenly appeared in the doorway. Rachel quickly wiped a tear away that she hadn't even realized was falling down her cheek.

Rachel looked towards the other side of the room.

A simple smile graced her lips when she saw a picture of herself, one that her fathers must have sent in the two boxes that had disappeared from her own boxes, of her when she was about seven. Then there was a picture of Rachel at Christmas, one that she had not even known was being taken of her opening her presents that Shelby had gotten her, she had still been in her pajamas.

Rachel walked over to the filing cabinet and simply stared.

"You have only written three and a half lines, Rachel. I set you in here to write lines, young lady, not pilfer through my desk."

Shelby had a hard time hiding her smile when Rachel blushed at being caught snooping. Shelby didn't want Rachel to see her smile though, not yet. She had to deal with her daughter's misbehavior first. She looked down at Rachel's feet, randomly, and then hissed.

"Rachel! Where are your boots? Your shoes and pants are soaked! Come here." Shelby said, going over to her desk and leaning down underneath it, turning on a small heater she had down there for when she got cold.

"Sit here and place your feet in front of the heater. Take your flats off and write your lines until I come to get you. We will be talking about your absence of boots as well, young lady. Now, come on. You are racking up quite a list of transgressions today, princess." Shelby said, holding out the chair for Rachel. Rachel sighed, but did as she was told, though she wasn't quite as angry as earlier.

Her mom had pictures of her in her office!

"Get to writing. I will be back in a bit. I have to keep an eye on your partners in crime right now. I want at least fifty lines written before I come back in here." Shelby said, and then left.

Rachel sighed again. Her mother was insane. This line was crazy long!

She did start writing though. She could at least try to get fifty lines written.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby watched as a woman who could be no other than Maribel Lopez walked into her auditorium, a sense of purpose in her step. It had been a little over an hour since she had called the parents, and Burt Hummel was already there, having been a little closer to Caramel than Maribel Lopez had been.

Shelby had kept Puck only for the simple reason that she had to keep the other kids, but she could tell that he was getting antsy. He kept looking at the time on his cell phone and then he would look at Shelby. He thought he was being sneaky, but she was Shelby Corcoran, coach of Vocal Adrenaline, and she knew people well.

After introducing herself to Mrs. Lopez as she had to Mr. Hummel, she went to her office and asked Rachel to come out.

Rachel sighed and put her pen down, walking to her mother.

"How many do you have?"

"Fifty-five."

"Good girl. Go sit beside Santana."

Rachel nodded and went and sat beside the tall latina. Puck stood up and moved to the other side of Rachel, and tapped his phone twice and looked her in the eye.

Rachel gasped.

"Mama!" Rachel said quickly. She was already beginning to love saying that word out loud, even if it was weird after all of these years.

Shelby eyed Rachel carefully, and could tell that she had just realized something that she apparently hadn't previously. It was still so hard for her to stay stern though, when her little girl called her mama. It was such a beautiful sound coming from her daughter's mouth.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"Puck needs to leave. It is important." Rachel whispered.

"I don't think…"

"Mama, he has to pick his little sister up from her friend's house. Please let him go."

Shelby had an internal battle with herself, but finally caved when she noticed that her daughter was being truthful.

"Fine. Noah, you are to see Mr. Shuester tomorrow for detention since your mother was unable to pick you up. You may leave." Shelby said.

She had never seen anyone run out of her auditorium as quickly as he did.

Shelby turned back and stared at the remaining five children.

To her amusement, Finn and Kurt, looked embarrassed by the glare that Burt was sending them. He had already told them that they were both grounded for this stunt.

Even more amusing, was Santana Lopez. Every time her mother stepped close to her, she sunk down in her seat a little further. Quinn refused to look at Maribel either. She had tried to talk Shelby into calling her mother, but Shelby had followed Will's suggestion and called Maribel for both girls.

Even Rachel was not looking at Shelby. It looked like all of the kids in front of the adults knew that they were in the wrong whether they wanted to know it or not.

Shelby's phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and she looked at the name flashing across it.

"Excuse me. I will be right back, I have to take this." Shelby said, stepping to the side of the room.

"Santana Lopez, of all the hare brained schemes you have pulled, this nearly takes the cake. And you, Quinn Fabray, do not think that you are going to get away with no punishment. You can just plan on spending the night in our home for the next couple of days. I know very well that your mother is out of town again, though I am not sure where you have been staying. Be sure we will talk about that at home tonight as well."

Quinn sunk down lower in her seat; it was obvious that that was not something that she particularly wanted to talk about.

Rachel tried not to listen, but even from her other side, where Finn and Kurt where, Burt was expressing his displeasure.

"I was in the middle of an alignment, which I had to stop because I had to come pick up you two troublemakers. I am sure that Carole is just going to love learning about all of the damage the two of you helped with today."

Rachel was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when her mother stalked over to her, standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

Rachel was starting to become used to the look.

"Guess who that was."

That question had to be rhetorical, so Rachel shrugged.

"Your Aunt Kate. In hysterics because she couldn't find you after school. In the confusion of everything, the thought did not even cross my mind that she would be looking for you, regardless, we are leaving soon, so I hope that you can think of a good apology for your aunt. A very good apology. Because we will be going there before we head home."

Rachel sighed.

This sucked.

Shelby talked to the adults for another fifteen minutes or so, and then they all got ready to go. The VA kids had left forty-five minutes prior, thankfully, and Shelby was ready to leave as well, though it was quite a bit earlier than she was used too.

Burt was the first to leave with Kurt and Finn, and then Maribel was not far behind with Quinn on one side of her and Santana on the other.

Shelby was leading Rachel back into her office, though Rachel watched as Mrs. Lopez took the other two girls out. She couldn't make out what either girl was saying, but Rachel was shocked with Mrs. Lopez stopped and first swatted Santana's behind, then Quinn's, and then proceeded to lecture both of them as they continued up the steps that would lead them out of the auditorium.

Santana Lopez, badass of McKinley, had just been swatted by her mother.

Just like Rachel's mother had been swatted by hers.

It was a bit confusing for Rachel, who felt that she was too old for such things, to see her classmates, who were both older than her by more than a year, get swatted for being mouthy.

Rachel shook her head as she felt her mother gently push her into her office so they could get ready to go.

Rachel wondered silently if that changed things any in her mind. She would have to think about it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

If Rachel were to say that she were not nervous about riding in the car with her mother, she would be lying. She was alone now. Her mother could say anything she wanted because there were no witnesses. Rachel had noticed that her mother always tried to make sure that there were no witnesses when she got onto her about something.

They had made their way to Shelby's vehicle after she had collected her purse, coat, and Rachel's lines, putting them into her oversized purse. Rachel was going to write all three hundred of those lines, whether she wanted to or not, before she went to bed that night.

Rachel did not want to go to go to Aunt Kate's house either. That was going to suck as well. She hadn't really even thought about the fact that her aunt would be worried. In fact, if she would have thought about it, she probably would have thought that the woman would not worry a thing about it.

Apparently, she would have been wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Do you realize everything that you did wrong today, Rachel?" Shelby asked her after they had been driving for about five minutes in silence. She had taken her jacket off and laid it over Rachel because the girl had been shivering from the cold and her nose was running. The car had finally heated up and Rachel had finally stopped shivering and sniffling for the most part, but she kept her mother's jacket over her lap. Shelby hoped that Rachel did not get sick over this.

"Yea. I skipped school and messed up your auditorium."

"You also sent a girl to a crack house and you road in a vehicle with someone who you did not have permission to ride with." Shelby felt the need to point out. She was very serious about that rule, and Rachel had broken it. That rule was important to Shelby.

"He is my boyfriend. I ride with him all the time!" Rachel said quickly, staring at her mother. She noticed that her mother's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"No, you use to ride with him all the time. When you didn't live with me. But you live with me now, Rachel, and you have to follow my rules."

"That's not fair though! He is my boyfriend, and everyone else rode with him!"

Had Rachel thought about it, she would have stopped talking right then. But all she could think about was the fact that her mother was really, truly being unfair about this. Her mother had only been around a month. What right did she have to dictate her entire life?

"Rachel, how many seats are in Noah's truck?" Shelby suddenly asked.

Rachel looked at her weirdly. What kind of question was that?

"Five."

"Oh really?"

"Yea, why?"

"Explain the inside of Noah's truck to me."

It was official. Her mother was nuts. Insane. Crazy.

"There is a driver's seat, console, passenger seat, and a three person backseat. The interior is black, and…"

"Where did you sit?"

"What?" Rachel asked, confused. This was the dumbest conversation ever.

"Exactly which seat did you sit in on the way to Caramel today, Rachel."

Oh…this was so not going to be good.

"Um…" Oh damn. She totally knew where this was going now, "The console, beside Noah." Rachel whispered.

Shelby instantly pulled over to the side of the road and hit her breaks, turning to glare at her daughter.

"You sat on the console to make an hour and half drive."

Rachel didn't know whether that was a question or not.

"Um…yea…"

"Rachel. No. That is unacceptable. Do you understand me, Rachel! That is unacceptable! There is a reason that I have that rule!" Shelby told her daughter. The mere thought of what could have happened to her daughter sent fear down her spine.

"Why are you getting upset with me? This is stupid!" Rachel finally yelled at her mother.

"Watch your attitude. You and I will be having a long talk tonight after we get home, Rachel. I will explain to you exactly why I have that rule."

"Fine!" Rachel yelled, then thrust her body back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

The rest of the ride was silent. Rachel was upset about being in trouble, and Shelby was slowly trying to banish the thoughts of what could have happened to her daughter had Noah Puckerman gotten into an accident while Rachel was sitting on the console of his truck with no seatbelt. The very thought of it made Shelby want to cry. She had told Rachel that she wasn't allowed to ride with anyone else besides Kate or her, and Rachel had disobeyed her. She hadn't just said that to be saying it. She had been serious and she had her reasons for making that rule.

Of course, Rachel also knew that Shelby did not want her skipping school either, but the girl had done that as well.

Obviously, tonight they needed to talk about a set list of rules. Maybe Shelby even needed to write them down and post them somewhere.

Perhaps she could come up with a list while Rachel was working on her lines, and then they could talk about them.

Shelby sighed as she pulled back out onto the road. First, she had to make Rachel apologize to Kate, who had really had been in hysterics when she could not find Rachel. Rachel owed Kate that much.

It was going to be a long night, that was for sure.

* * *

**AN: So, thoughts? What do you think Shelby is going to do to Rachel? What do you think is worse, the crack house, the riding with Puck, breaking into Caramel...**

**Comments, thoughts, suggestions? I hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews:)**


	10. Rules and Regulations

**Chapter Ten: Rules and Regulations**

Rachel, despite being upset with her mother, was hiding behind her as Shelby opened the door at Kate's. Rachel was now wearing her mother's jacket over her own jacket, as she kept getting a chill.

Inside, there was yelling and crying, so Shelby opened the door and then motioned for Rachel to go ahead before her.

Rachel stared at the chaos in front of her as Aria stood crying, rubbing her arm, and Kate was staring at Melody who was looking defiantly off at nothing.

"Melody Katherine, you do not hit your sister. You know better than that!" Kate chastised her ten year old.

"She shouldn't have been messing with me! It isn't my fault that you are upset that you couldn't find Rachel after school!"

"Melody, me being upset with your cousin has nothing to do with you hitting Aria!"

"This is so stupid!" Melody said, turning to storm out of the room. Rachel would have been impressed by the storm out had Aunt Kate not grabbed Melody's arm and swatted her, then said, "Get into a corner until I come get you out, young lady."

Rachel felt a pang in her chest. It was unfamiliar. But had she caused these problems? Why would Aunt Kate do that to Melody? It solidified the thought that Rachel was too young to be swatted by her mother though. But, then why had Santana's mom done that to her? Rachel was really confused about this at the moment.

"This is so not fair! You didn't even ask what she did!" Melody yelled, pointing at Aria.

"Corner." Kate said, pointing towards the living room.

"Fine!" Melody said as she stomped to a free corner.

Shelby was currently wondering if all kids thought that 'fine' was an appropriate word to use when they were mad and didn't want to lose a battle, but knew that they had lost the battle regardless.

Rachel was wondering if she looked like Melody when she was upset with her mother and stormed off. She silently hoped that she didn't…but she had years more practice storming off than Melody did, so Rachel was positive that she didn't look like a child when she stormed off.

Kate looked up at that moment and her gaze penetrated Rachel's very being.

"You. Kitchen. Now. We need to have a talk." Kate said in a voice that dared Rachel to disobey.

"Rachel, go on."

"Aunt Wellby! Sissy hit me!" Aria said, crying when she noticed that her aunt was there. She ran over to Shelby and Shelby picked her up, patting her back as she did so.

"Go on, Rachel. Go talk to Aunt Kate."

Rachel sighed and walked into the kitchen. She sat at the bar on a stool, and watched her aunt pace back and forth in front of her.

"Rachel, what you did was unacceptable. I was worried to death when you didn't come out of the school today. So, I had to get Melody and Aria out of the car and go and try to find you in the school. Low and behold, you were not there. I was worried to death. I called my little sister to tell her that I could not find her daughter. I was scared, upset, and worried, Rachel. Thankfully, Shelby knew where you were at. In fact, you were with her because you skipped school and broke into Caramel. Rachel, you have to understand that you can't just disappear like that. It is not acceptable."

"I don't get why you were worried! I was with Mama, and she didn't call you and let you know I was there!" Rachel said. They were both aware that she was grasping now.

"Rachel, you have a family now. You have people who you are accountable to. At four thirty, I was supposed to pick you up. You were not where you were supposed to be."

"Mama is punishing me for it though! She already said that we were going to talk about it when we got home. She just said that I had to apologize. So, I am sorry!" Rachel said quickly.

Kate absolutely loved that Rachel was finally calling Shelby mama. That must have only happened in the last day or so because as far as Kate knew, Rachel had never called Shelby anything. She had never addressed her mother as any form of mom or even by her name.

"I don't think you are truly sorry, Rachel. I don't think you are sorry because you still don't understand why I am upset."

Rachel looked at her oddly. Where was her mother?

"Rachel, you worried me. You can't do that again. You can't disappear. You can't." Kate said. How did she make this little girl realize that she had been really worried? That her heart had frozen when she had no idea where her niece was at.

"I don't understand why you are so freaking mad about this! I said I was sorry! You don't have to keep harping about it!" Rachel yelled.

"Hey, hey, what is going on?" Shelby asked, she had heard the yells coming from the kitchen where she was in the living room with Aria.

"She doesn't understand why I was worried. I will be right back, I have to go get Melody out of the corner."

Kate walked out of the kitchen and Shelby looked at Rachel.

"She was worried because she loves you, Rachel." Shelby said softly.

Rachel looked at her, confused. Why would her aunt love her? She sure didn't have reason too. No one besides Puck and her mother had ever uttered those words to her.

"Mama, I want to go home." Rachel said, tears suddenly sliding down her cheeks in her confusion.

"Rachel…" Shelby really wanted Rachel to understand. She wanted her to understand why they loved her. But Shelby knew that it wasn't going to happen overnight. It would take time. Weeks. Months. It would take a while. Her fathers had really done a number on her over the years and now it was up to Shelby to fix it. But, Shelby didn't care that it would take a while. In fact, she was completely okay with that.

"Okay, Rachel. We can go home. Let me go talk to Kate for a moment."

Rachel nodded and pulled both her coat and her mother's coat around her tighter. She used the sleeve of her mother's to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

She was still so confused by all of this. Then, to top it all off, she was still in trouble with her mother. She went to the fridge where a notepad and pen were stuck to the door.

Rachel grabbed it, jotted a quick note and then left it on the bar where she had been sitting.

Rachel coughed into the sleeve and then went to sit in the cold car, to wait for her mom, and to think. She needed to think.

Kate would find the note thirty minutes later:

_Aunt Kate, I am sorry that I do not understand. Rachel._

Kate knew that she was going to have to talk to Rachel sometime later. She had to make Rachel realize that she truly did love her. Perhaps she had went about it all wrong. She had just been so worried, though, when she couldn't find Rachel. She would definitely be talking to Rachel soon though.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

"Hang your coat up, please, Rachel." Shelby said as they walked in the house. Rachel hung up Shelby's jacket first, and then her own. Normally she just set her coat on the banister and the next morning it would miraculously be hanging in the closet the next morning.

"Come on, Rachel. I want you to work on your lines while I do a few things." Shelby said, putting her hand on Rachel's back to guide her into the kitchen to sit at the table. Shelby dug into her purse and pulled out the legal pad that Rachel had been writing her and set it on the table in front of Rachel with a pen.

Rachel didn't say anything; she merely started writing her lines again. She was half way through another one when she looked up at her mother.

"I am kinda hungry." She whispered.

"Would you like a snack, or do you want me to go ahead and make supper?" Shelby asked. She had noticed in the last few weeks that Rachel would not get any food for herself. She would merely wait for Shelby to cook. The few times that she had wanted a snack, it was either fruit or she asked Shelby what she could have.

"I can wait for supper." Rachel said meekly. Shelby watched her for a moment and then walked over to the cabinet that held snacks and looked over the food she had purchased for Rachel. She grabbed a fruit bar that Rachel could eat and then went and poured her a glass of soy milk.

"Here you go, Rachel." Shelby said, placing the small snack in front of her

"Thanks, Mama." Rachel said quietly.

Shelby smiled at her and then touched her arm so that Rachel would look up at her.

"Rachel, despite the fact that you are in trouble and we are going to have a long talk about everything in a bit, I want you to know that I feel honored that you feel like you can call me mama."

Rachel looked into her eyes. She could see the sincerity of her mother's words.

"I've wanted to call you that since the first day." Rachel whispered.

Shelby bent down and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Thank you, Rachel."

Rachel smiled and then blushed. She slowly turned back to her lines. Now she almost didn't mind having to write them.

Over the next hour, Rachel wrote. She had been surprised when her mother had started supper and then sat in front of her with her own legal pad and pen. She had watched curiously for several moments before Shelby had looked up and pointed back towards the lines. Rachel was nearly to line two hundred, and Shelby was not going to let her not do them. Every single line would be completed before Rachel went to bed.

Supper was complete soon after, and Rachel stared at the thick soup her mother placed in front of her. This was a new one. Rachel smelled it and moved her spoon around to look at what was in it. There looked to be potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. It smelled good. But it looked funny. There was warm bread soon added, and a glass of apple juice.

"What is wrong with it, Rachel?" Shelby asked. Every couple of days, if she cooked something Rachel had never eaten, Rachel would smell it, look through it, and then tentatively taste it. She had not served her daughter anything yet that she had not liked.

"It is a vegetarian stew, Rachel. I think that you will like it." Shelby said. It amused her that Rachel acted that way with her food, but then she realized that Rachel acted that way because someone had probably given her something she couldn't have at some point, so she was tentative about eating something that she had never eaten before. There was a reason that Rachel had eaten take out all the time and didn't know how to cook for herself. She wouldn't even pick her own snack out for goodness sakes.

Shelby shook her head slightly. That was something that she would think about later. Right now, she had to deal with the problem at hand.

"I made a list of rules that you and I are going to go over, Rachel."

Rachel looked up at her mother quickly.

"But, I am sorry." Rachel said. Sorrys were supposed to fix things, weren't they? Wasn't that how it worked?

"Rachel, I know that you are, but that doesn't erase the fact that you broke the rules today. That made me realize I haven't really given you any rules except for the two about skipping school and not riding with anyone other than Kate or me. Both of which you broke today, Rachel."

"But…" Rachel started.

Shelby held up her hand and then slid a piece of paper over to Rachel. Shelby had written the list of rules down twice. One she was going to let Rachel have and the other she was going to post on the side of the refrigerator so that it could easily be seen by Rachel and added to if necessary.

"Rachel, these rules…Had I been the one to raise you from day one, I would have taught them to you as you grew and you would know them. I think that I was just assuming that you would realize what I expected from you, but that was an unfair assumption on my part. I have to look at this as if you don't know any of my expectations, which, technically, you don't."

Rachel looked at the list of rules. Be respectful. Keep your room and bathroom clean. Do assigned chores. No skipping school. No riding with anyone other than Kate or Mama without permission. Curfew will be discussed depending on the situation. No storming out when angry. Behave at school.

They weren't hard rules to follow. They were simple really. But at the same time, Rachel had already broken most of them. In one day. Actually, in half a day.

"Do you understand these rules, Rachel?" Shelby asked her gently.

Rachel nodded yes, and then looked up at Shelby.

"What happens if I break them?"

"You and I will sit down and discuss what you did and how you are going to abstain from doing in the future. The punishment will just depend."

"What about today? I know that you are not very happy about me breaking all those rules today." Rachel said softly. Shelby nodded.

"You are correct, Rachel, I am not happy with what you did today. In fact, had you done that to any other school, you and your friends would have been in a lot more trouble than you are now. You could have been arrested."

"I didn't know that we were going to your school until we passed the street to our house." Rachel whispered.

Shelby inhaled sharply. It made her feel better that Rachel had not known that she was headed towards Shelby's school, but it also made Shelby upset because Rachel and her friends very well could have ended up in a lot more trouble today had it been any other school besides her own and that Shelby would have had no idea where Rachel was when Kate called her so frantic that afternoon.

"Rachel, do you have any idea what I would have done had I not been able to find you this afternoon? What would have happened had Aunt Kate called me and told me that you were not there when she came to pick you up and I also didn't know where you were? Rachel, I would have been frantic."

"I am sorry! I didn't mean to. I promise. I am just so use to doing whatever…" Rachel said, tears filling her eyes.

Shelby reached across the table and took Rachel's hand in her own.

"I know that you are, Rachel. I know that you are used to doing your own thing. But not anymore. You can't do whatever you want. It may take time, but you need to realize that now I am in your life and there are rules for you to follow. I love you, Rachel, more than anyone in this world. I. Love. You." Shelby felt a tear slide down her cheek as she stared into her daughter's eyes.

"I will try to do better."

"Rachel, you are a good girl. I know that. A few mistakes don't make you any less a good girl. We are both still learning. I know that you are not comfortable here yet. It is going to take time. I know that you are not comfortable yet with me telling you what to do and when and what you cannot do. That too, is going to take time. But one day, whether it is in a week, a month, or a year, you and I are going to suddenly realize that we have adjusted to one another."

Rachel nodded and gripped her mother's hand tightly.

"I am going to try to leave Coach Corcoran behind when you and I are together, Rachel. I want nothing more than to simply be your mother. The mother of Rachel."

"Thank you." Rachel whispered.

"You have nothing to thank me for, Rachel. It is my honor."

"What is my punishment?" Rachel suddenly asked. She didn't let go of her mother's hand though. She liked holding onto that hand, a hand so similar to her own, only slightly larger, a random ring with, Rachel suddenly realized, her birthstone in the setting. Rachel began playing with the ring on her mother's hand as she listened to her talk.

"You skipped school, road with someone you didn't have permission to ride with, and sent a girl to a crack house, of which we have not even talked about yet. Not to mention you didn't have a seatbelt on, and that is never okay. I think you should lose the privilege of all of your electronics for the next two weeks. If you need a computer for homework, you can use my laptop at the kitchen table. Otherwise, I want your laptop, iPod, phone, and any other electronics brought down here before you go to bed. Okay?"

Rachel sighed. It wasn't ideal, but she supposed she should have suspected it.

"So, I am grounded?" Rachel asked, looking up at her mother.

"Yes." Shelby said, realizing that she had just grounded her daughter for the first time.

Rachel looked back down at her mother's ring and used her thumb to move it back and forth.

"You said you would tell me why I couldn't ride with other people without permission from you. I don't understand it, and you said you would explain it." Rachel suddenly said.

Shelby smiled sadly.

"The first thing happened when I was twelve and Aunt Kate was twenty. Our parents were killed in a car accident; their car was wrapped around a light pole. I was young though, and it took a lot for me to understand what was truly happening. Aunt Kate was given custody of me and raised me after that. Then, something major happened when I was fifteen. I had a friend who was also fifteen. One day, she decided that she was going to skip school to go a few towns over to some concert that was happening in the middle of the day. I had planned on skipping school too, but your Aunt Kate found the flier that I had hidden in my room when she was picking up clothes to wash and threatened me within an inch of my life if I skipped school to ride with the older girl who was driving. Aunt Kate was funny about who I rode with just like I am with you after what happened to our parents. Plus, everyone knew that the girl was reckless. Everyone knew that, yet a group of us had still planned to go. Kate and I got into a huge fight and by the time she was done yelling at me and grounding me for my attitude, I was late to school and my friends had already left. Later that day, I found out that there had been an accident. My best friend was killed because the girl driving had been driving recklessly. She was passing cars and driving fast. She killed everyone in that car except for herself. I have been funny about other driver's since then, Rachel, and I will not let you put your life in danger."

"But, Noah is a good driver, Mama." Rachel said quickly.

"It doesn't matter, Rachel. You will obey me about this, okay? This is a very important rule. Teenagers are not always the world's best drivers. That much is true about Noah since he left more people in his truck than he had seatbelts and let you sit on the console of his truck. Do you understand why I had this rule?"

"Yes ma'am. I understand."

Shelby hoped that she did. Shelby didn't have the rule just for kicks. It was a rule that she had for a reason, a good reason.

"Rachel, did you really send Sunshine to a crack house?"

Rachel swallowed, her eyes got big and she blushed.

"It had been condemned so technically it wasn't a crack house anymore."

"Rachel." Shelby chastised lightly.

"I know I shouldn't have done it."

"Why did you do it then? Do you have any idea what could have happened to Sunshine when she went to that house? In that neighborhood?" Shelby asked her. Rachel was still focusing on her ring. Shelby had had that ring for fifteen years. Kate had given it to her the Christmas after Rachel had been born. She never took it off.

"I told her that was where glee auditions were being held. It was a joke. I didn't know that she was going to freak out." Rachel said.

Shelby shook her head. "Rachel, that is unacceptable. I know you well enough to know that that was not a joke. You did it to get rid of her, Rachel. We both know that."

Rachel blushed again. How did her mother know that? Really?

"Rachel, I think for sending Sunshine to the crack house, I want you write an essay about the dangers of such places along with a well thought out section on what you could have differently to express your ill feelings towards a girl you barely know. I want you to write why you did and your thought process with that decision as well. It will be hand written since I know just how beautiful your hand writing is after those three hundred lines you have been working on, and it will cover everything sufficiently or I will make you start over and I will give you a page or word count that you have to meet. I suggest that you do it correctly the first time."

Rachel sighed. This was so unfair!

"How am I supposed to research crack houses? I mean, do you want me to go to the one that I sent Sunshine too?" Rachel asked sarcastically, letting go of her mother's hand and sitting up straighter.

Another thought instantly entered Shelby's mind.

"Rachel, how did you even know where that crack house was at?"

Rachel's eyes grew wide and she looked away.

"Heard about it." Rachel mumbled.

Shelby sighed. She knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere else with the Sunshine debacle, and, honestly, she probably didn't want to know to begin with. Not truly.

Rachel bent down and was silent. She began eating her food, which had finally cooled off, and refused to look at her mother. Before long, she was finished eating and asked for permission to go to her room, albeit a bit sulkily.

"Yes. I will be up in a bit. There is one more thing that I want to talk to you about." Shelby said, as she placed dishes in the sink to clean up later.

"Okay. Can I take a shower first? I am kinda cold."

Shelby smiled and nodded.

She really needed to get to the bottom of the boot thing.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby made it up to Rachel's room before the girl was finished in the shower. She shook her head when she noticed the clothes lying on the floor. She did smile, though, when she noticed that all of Rachel's electronics were on her bed, waiting on her to pick them up and take them into her room.

Then Shelby shook her head again. She had not truly realized how many electronics her child had. There were two iPods, an iPad, laptop, and several handheld gaming systems. Shelby shook her head. There was thousands of dollars worth of electronics here, and her kid hadn't even owned a pair of pants when she had moved in with Shelby.

Shelby picked up a several hangers that were hanging over Rachel's desk chair and walked over to the closet to put them away. When Shelby hung them on the rod, she looked down at Rachel's shoes. Suddenly, she became very interested in the shoes that were at the bottom of the closet.

Especially when she realized that the first three pairs she looked at was each a different size.

"Mama? What are you doing?"

Shelby turned around and looked at Rachel, who was in her normal t-shirt and panties. For some reason, Rachel hated sleeping in pants. She would put them on if she was lounging around the house, but to sleep she wouldn't.

"Rachel, are your snow boots too small?"

Rachel blushed, but she eventually nodded slightly. She never looked up at her mother though.

"Rachel, why didn't you tell me? You can't wear shoes that are too small. It isn't good for your feet. You should have let me know. I would have bought you a new pair. I _will_ be buying you a new pair. Tomorrow. We are taking off school tomorrow to go boot and shoe shopping. How many of your shoes actually fit?" Shelby said it all quickly and without another thought, but she felt horrible. Her daughter had been wearing shoes that were too small and she hadn't realized it.

"I didn't want you to have to spend money on them. I have my flats…"

"Rachel, honey, there is a foot of snow outside. You need boots. You need tennis shoes. You need warm, winter footwear." Shelby was listing the things out loud as she thought about what Rachel needed to make it through the winter.

"Warmer socks. Yes, I am calling the school tomorrow and telling them you will not be there. I will call in a personal day as well. We will be getting things that you need tomorrow, so if there is anything that you need, Rachel, please let me know. Think about it tonight and we can talk about it in the car on the way to the mall tomorrow." Shelby said.

Rachel simply nodded. This didn't make sense! Her mother was mad at her for misbehaving at school…well not technically school since she was not there…. but now she was going to take her shopping? She had sent a girl to a crack house for goodness sakes! And now her mother was going to buy her new boots? What the hell.

Shelby, on the other hand, realized two things. One was that the Berry men were bastards. They had spent all that money, thousands of dollars, on electronics to keep Rachel from bothering them, but didn't make sure she had the most basic of necessities.

The other thing that she realized was even more important. It was the moment that she realized her role as a mother was much more important to her than any other she had ever played. She was canceling VA practice for the second day in a row.

And she didn't even care.

Her daughter was way more important.

* * *

**AN: So, do you think Rachel will learn her lesson after her two weeks grounding? **

**Other thoughts, comments?**


	11. Shopping

**Chapter Eleven: Shopping**

Shelby and Rachel were on their way to the mall the next morning by ten. Shelby had let Rachel sleep in late and then they had eaten breakfast together. Shelby had called Kate the night before and the two had talked for about forty-five minutes about Rachel and what had happened that afternoon, as well as the shoe situation.

Kate had told Shelby that she was glad that she was taking Rachel shopping, and that perhaps it would give them time to bond doing something that would, hopefully, be fun for both of them. If truth be told, Shelby was excited to take Rachel shopping and hoped that it didn't turn out like shopping for jeans had. That had been only just short of a disaster.

"I have a list of things that we need to get you today. Snow boots are on the top of the list. As well as a pair of tennis shoes, and at least two pairs of flats. I want you to find shoes that you really like, Rachel. I also want you to tell me when they get too small. Your feet probably won't grow much more, but they may go up another half a size before they stop." Shelby said, thinking about when her own feet had stopped growing. She had worn the same size since she was sixteen, so she expected Rachel's feet would grow a bit.

"Okay." Rachel said. She was getting new shoes. She was having trouble hiding her excitement, but she knew she was still in trouble for the day before and she didn't want her mama to think that she didn't know that she had done wrong. She knew that she was wrong the day before. She had to go without all electronics for two weeks. Even television, apparently. She had been told that earlier that morning when she had turned the television on while she was waiting on Shelby to finish getting ready.

"You also need warm socks. It wouldn't hurt to see if we can't find a few warm sweaters either. Is there anything else that you thought that you might need?"

Rachel had been thinking about it. She really, really wanted some new panties. She had not had any new ones in years and the ones she did have were not picked out by her but by someone else, and hers were beginning to look rather worn, especially since she only had two weeks worth. Some of them were even getting a bit small, which was saying something since she was definitely on the small side.

"No, I can't think of anything else." Rachel said. Her mother was already planning on buying her so much, she didn't need to add to it. That would be a sure fire way for her mother to get tired of her quickly.

Shelby nodded. She would continue to ask Rachel throughout the day. Maybe Rachel would change her mind and tell her whatever it was she wanted because it was obvious there was something on the girl's mind.

They finally got to the mall and rushed inside, out of the cold.

The first place they stopped was a shoe store. Shelby automatically realized that the Rachel she had today was completely different from the Rachel she had taken to buy jeans. Apparently, her Rachel today loved shoes. Another thing that Shelby noticed was that Rachel didn't really pay attention to prices. But she knew that Rachel didn't shop much, if ever. She had told Shelby that she had had many of her clothes since she was eleven, some even from before then, and who knew where she had actually gotten those clothes from.

Shelby was immediately reminded of something that Kate had told her that the man, Matt, from The Eatery, told her.

Rachel didn't know that she paid less than half for her food there because she had never looked at a menu. Shelby knew that she would have to start teaching Rachel more about money. Perhaps an allowance for doing her chores and things, money that she could save or use as she wanted, within reason, without having to ask Shelby for money would be a good way to teach her that much needed skill.

Though, she had yet to ask Shelby for anything money related. Not once had she even asked Shelby for one thing.

"Mama! I love these!" Rachel said, holding up a pair of snow boots that were purple and black, black faux fur lining the inside and sticking out of the top.

"Try them on." Shelby said. Rachel nodded, and pulled several different sizes off the shelf. Shelby figured that the petite girl could wear a five and half. Rachel had pulled out every size but that.

"Rach, here, try these first." Shelby said, finding the five and a half and handing them over, along with a pair of Shelby's own thick socks that she had brought for Rachel to wear while she tried on shoes that would need socks.

Rachel looked at her questioningly.

"You have to try them on with socks to make sure they fit correctly."

Rachel nodded, then pulled the warmer socks over her thin knee socks that she had on under her jeans.

Rachel pulled the boots on and then looked at Shelby in awe.

"They are perfect! How'd you know that was the size I would need?"

"Mother Magic, I guess." Shelby said with a laugh. She had to admit, they did look very good on Rachel.

"I think those are the ones, Rach."

"Can I wear them the rest of the day?" Rachel asked, not looking at her mother, but instead looked at her feet as she walked in front of a large mirror the shoe store had against the wall. She had on a brand new pair of boots and they fit perfectly!

"Yes, you can. We still have to find the other shoes first."

Rachel nodded, the smile on her face was so big, that Shelby wished she could bottle this memory forever. The smile was so genuine. So excited. Shelby loved it.

Before Shelby knew what was happening, they were finished, boots, tennis shoes, and two pairs of flats in a bag, her wallet thinner, but her daughter extremely happy to be wearing her new snow boots. Shelby had already received several "thank you"s from Rachel, and all she could do was smile.

By lunch time, both girls were about to drop, and Shelby knew that Rachel would be getting hungry. They went into a quaint restaurant that offered a variety of foods, a place that Shelby knew Rachel would be able to find something to eat that fit her dietary needs.

They sat down and their waitress came over to take their drink orders. Rachel looked over at her mother and whispered, "Can I get a soda? Please?"

Shelby looked at her and smiled. She nodded the affirmative, and after Rachel ordered her soda, Shelby ordered a sweet tea. While Shelby had never told Rachel that she could not have soda, she didn't buy it for the house because she really didn't want that to be an everyday thing. She hadn't given Rachel a lot of sweets or caffeine, and as far as she knew Rachel hadn't ever ingested a lot of either. Shelby was not sure that she was ready for hyper Rachel, which she suspected would be the outcome.

Shelby already knew what she wanted, so she watched as Rachel read over the menu, every couple of seconds wiping her hand over her nose. Shelby narrowed her eyes a bit.

"Are you feeling okay?" Shelby asked. There was no telling how long Rachel had walked around with wet shoes and pants the day before, and she didn't want the girl to get sick. Thankfully, they were nearly done shopping, so maybe she could get Rachel to rest when they got home without much fuss.

"Yea, I am okay. Why?" Rachel asked, staring up at her mother suspiciously.

"I was just making sure."

Rachel nodded and then put her menu down so that she could talk to waitress as she came back to their table with their drinks.

"Can I take your order, or do you need a few moments?"

Shelby looked at Rachel and smiled, "I think that we are ready. I will have steak fajitas, no beans, extra rice. Rachel?"

Rachel looked up at the waitress, "I will have a plain salad with an oil and vinegar dressing."

Shelby looked at her daughter. Rachel was not a big salad eater. In fact, the two times that Shelby had made them a salad for a meal, Rachel had barely eaten any of it and had asked her for a snack later.

She was then going back to another thought. Kate had told her that Matt, at The Eatery, told her that his father had been making Rachel's meals for over four years, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so that the girl would always have something to eat. But Rachel didn't pick out her meals. She got the same things every week.

Then she thought about meals at home. Rachel would not even get herself her own snack at home.

Her fifteen year old daughter seriously didn't know what she could and could not have. She literally depended on Shelby, the people at The Eatery, and sometimes Kate, to tell her what she could eat. Sure, she looked through her food before she would eat it, but she still was not sure whether there was something in it she couldn't have. It was just habit, Shelby realized.

The realization his Shelby like a ton of bricks.

She looked up at the waitress, "Um, could you erase that for a moment and give us about ten minutes to look over the menu?" Shelby asked. The waitress gave her a kind smile and nodded before she walked off.

"Mama?"

"Rachel, do you not know what foods you can and cannot eat?" Shelby asked her. If they wanted to eat anytime soon, she had to jump right into this conversation.

Rachel looked down and blushed. It was so embarrassing. She knew some things that she could have, but she hadn't really picked out a meal in years, and there had been way too many allergic reactions to count. It had gotten to the point that Rachel just couldn't do it. It was nearly a fear. A fear of picking out something that she couldn't have.

The last meal one of her fathers had ever made her had been something she was allergic too. By the time she had walked to school that morning, the nurse had ended up having to call an ambulance to come and get her. She had been ten. After that, her fathers told her that they didn't have the time to deal with her and her neediness, and gave her money for food.

"I am afraid that I will eat something that I can't have. Sal has fixed my food for years…he won't let anyone else fix it except for his wife, Bernadette. If he isn't there, she came in and fixed my food. Then when I came to live with you, you made sure that it was stuff that I could have. I am sorry." Rachel said quickly, sniffing a bit, though Shelby was not sure if the girl was sniffing because of her sudden runny nose or because she was trying to hold back tears.

Shelby could tell that Rachel was getting upset, and that was the last thing that she wanted.

"Hey, Rachel, sweetheart, I didn't ask you that to embarrass you or to get on to you. If this is the case, then I need to start teaching you what you can and cannot have, and how to tell when it is something that you should not eat. You are not going to want me following you around for the rest of your life picking out your food, princess, though I definitely would." Shelby said with a smile.

Rachel blushed, but gave her mother a timid smile.

"I am sorry. I haven't picked out my own meals since I was ten. A few days before I started eating at The Eatery for every meal. One of my fathers made me breakfast. It was not normal…they normally didn't. Normally, I ate dry cereal. Always Cheerios. But that morning, one of them made me oatmeal…he had put milk in it and I didn't realize it. He told me to sit and eat, so I did. I thought he was changing. When I walked to school that morning, I could barely breathe. I passed out right in front of the nurse's office, thankfully, and she called an ambulance. I ruined it all and after that, they told me to get my own food. They gave me money. The Eatery was within walking distance, and I started going there. I told Mattie that I was allergic to dairy and kiwi and that my dads told me I was vegan, and his dad came out and told me what he could make me. I started going there every day after that."

Shelby reached over and patted Rachel's hand, and then picked up her menu.

"They have a vegetarian soup, Rachel, which you might like. It does not have any dairy products in it. There is also a vegetarian pasta dish that has no eggs or dairy in it. It has artichokes, black olives, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and a light marinara sauce. It comes with parmesan cheese, but we can ask them not to put that one there."

"That sounds good. I like pasta." Rachel whispered.

Shelby nodded and smiled. She then leaned over to kiss her daughter's head. Rachel fell into her mother for a few seconds. She loved that her mother was now randomly kissing her and hugging her. It made her feel good.

The waitress soon came back and, again, Shelby smiled up at her.

"I would like the same as I ordered earlier, by my daughter would like the vegetarian pasta dish, though please make sure that none of the cheese makes it onto the plate. She is highly allergic to all dairy products."

"Of course! As long as we know, we can make her food away from all dairy products. The owner is allergic to peanuts, and he is particular about the allergy needs of people being met if at all possible."

"Thank you so much." Shelby said, and Rachel gave the waitress a shy smile.

"Thank you, Mama."

"You are more than welcome, Rachel. We will work on that. I want you to be able to know what you are eating is safe."

"Okay."

Soon the two had received their food and were eating. Rachel was practically inhaling her food until Shelby told her that she needed to slow down before she made herself sick, causing Rachel to blush, but also to stop eating her food like someone was going to take it from her. Shelby had noticed that, on occasion, Rachel did tend to eat very quickly. It was something else that Shelby wondered about. Why did she feel the need to inhale her food like that? She didn't question it though. Now yet. It was something she could tell Rachel was not ready to discuss.

"I can't help it. It is really good. And I was hungry."

Shelby laughed lightly.

"Maybe we will have to figure out how to make it at home. I imagine that it is not too hard."

Rachel nodded and took another bite, then looked at her mother's plate.

"Is that good?" Rachel asked pointing to the tortilla that Shelby had placed several pieces of meat and onions into.

"Yes, very." Shelby said, taking a bite.

"What does it taste like? The meat?"

Once again, thoughts began to bombard Shelby's mind. … _my dads told me I was vegan_…

"Rachel, I am sorry if you feel like I am overwhelming you with questions today, but I have one more that I would really like to know the answer too."

Rachel nodded tentatively.

"Is being vegan your choice, or was it your fathers?"

"I was told that I was vegan when I was little. It didn't really make sense to me at the time…well, it still doesn't really, because my dads both ate meat and eggs and stuff. But they told me I was vegan and vegans don't eat meat and eggs. I don't remember ever eating meat. It is a bit expensive though, so I figured that maybe that was why."

Shelby fumed. Of course they told her that. Bastards.

"Rachel, now the choice is yours. If you want to continue with the vegan lifestyle, I will support you. But, if you would like to try meat, understand that it would have to be a slow process since we do not know the last time you ate a piece of meat, if you ever have. It will have to be a slow process because it very well may make you sick at first and it would be something we would need to try out at home to be on the safe side. You think about it, Rachel, and I will support your decision."

Suddenly, Rachel felt lighter. Much lighter than she had felt in a long time. She smiled at her mother and nodded.

"Thank you, Mama. I will think about it."

Shelby reached over and patted her daughter's hand. Not for the first time, she was glad that the Berry men had disappeared.

She didn't know if she could keep from going to their home and murdering them, slowly and painfully. Her daughter deserved that justice.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

They were walking out of the mall when Shelby stopped Rachel with her arm and looked down at her daughter.

"Rachel, are you sure that there is nothing else that you need?"

Rachel looked at her feet. Sure, she would love some new panties. But her mother had already spent a lot of money on her today. Things that she really didn't deserve since she was being punished for everything she had done the day before.

"Okay, spit it out. What is it that you want? You thought of it this morning when I asked too, but wouldn't tell me what it was." Shelby said, lifting Rachel's chin up so that she could look into her eyes.

Rachel sighed.

"I don't need anything else. You have been so awesome today, and I have so much stuff. I really don't need anything else. I have never had this much new stuff."

"What is it, Rachel? What is it that you need? Tell me. Now." Shelby finished that sentence a bit firmer. She knew that she needed Rachel to tell her what she wanted.

"Panties."

The word was mumbled and Shelby barely heard it as Rachel averted her eyes.

"You need panties?" Shelby said rather loudly.

Rachel's eyes grew wide as she looked around frantically to make sure that no one was listening. Rachel had never shopped for her own underwear and the last time she had gotten new ones had been year before. She did not need her mother announcing that to the world.

"Mama!" Rachel whined a bit.

Shelby did all she could not to laugh as she threw her arm over Rachel's shoulders.

"Come on, Miss Priss. Let's go purchase some of those."

Rachel stopped and stood on her tip toes and whispered into Shelby's ear, "Can I get some with Phineas and Ferb on them? And Scooby Doo? I have always wanted some with those characters on them, but have never been able to get any."

Shelby smiled and hugged Rachel to her. She was smiling, but on the inside she was crying. Her daughter sounded so young right now. So vulnerable. She needed so much. Shelby just hoped that she was able to give Rachel everything that she needed.

"If we can find them, you most definitely can."

Rachel was all smiles despite the light blush across her cheeks.

They made their way into a store that Shelby was positive would have the characters that Rachel wanted. She loved moments when her daughter was just a kid.

"How about these, Rachel?" Shelby asked, holding up a hanger that had three pairs of panties on it, Phineas and Ferb all over them.

"Mama! Stop! Besides, I don't know what size to get." Rachel said, blushing again. Did her mother really have to shout out that they were buying panties? She wanted them, and she was super excited that she was getting new ones, but her mother didn't need to let _everyone _know.

"What size are you wearing now?"

"I don't know."

"Is there a tag in them?"

Rachel looked at her for a second and nodded slowly. The only reason that she even knew that was because the tag was irritating.

"Come here."

"Why?" Rachel asked her suspiciously.

Shelby sighed and then walked over to her daughter, lifted her jacket and shirt, then pulled her jeans out just enough to pull the back of her panties up so that she could pull up the tag.

"Mama! What are you doing! Stop! You are being so embarrassing! What happened to that mother magic that you used in the shoe store?" Rachel tried to walk away, but Shelby wrapped her index finger in one of the belt loops on the back of Rachel's pants to keep her close.

"Are those a bit tight, Rachel? They are a three. Do you think a three would work, or would you rather a four?"

"These fit well! I wear the ones that are too small as a last resort. Stop!" Rachel whined, trying to get away from her mother again, but Shelby still had her finger in that belt loop. Rachel was ready to hide despite the fact that there was no one around. Could her mother be any more embarrassing?

"What about bras, Rachel, do you need any of those?"

Rachel put her head down towards the floor and sighed. This was insane. She was not sure she liked this at the moment, and she had a sneaking suspicion that her mother was enjoying her discomfort just a tiny bit too much.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

When Rachel and Shelby got home, Puck was sitting on the front step of their house, his truck parked on the street. When Rachel got out of the car, she ran over to him and jumped up into his arms. He caught her, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I was worried when you didn't come to school today, Baby." Puck whispered between kisses from Rachel.

"Mama took me to buy some stuff today. She found out that my snow boots were too small, so she wanted me to have some today."

Puck nodded and smiled at his girlfriend.

"I missed you. I miss you every night." Puck said quietly. He was so used to falling asleep next to Rachel that he had not been sleeping at night. He wished that he had known that Rachel was living with her mother. He would have worried less over the break about her being with her fathers constantly. He understood why she had been afraid to tell him though.

"You two come in the house before you catch your deaths!" Shelby said from the door when she heard Rachel cough a few moments later.

Puck put Rachel down and the two of them walked into the house and then sat on the bottom stair.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you, Noah." Rachel whispered, her forehead touching his.

"It is okay. I understand why you didn't. It has been lonely at night though."

Rachel and Puck never did anything other than hold one another and sleep in bed. It was something that had helped them through many things in their lives and that was how they comforted one another.

"What did everyone say today?" Rachel asked him.

"Quinn thinks she killed you. Santana thinks that she shipped you off. Kurt is positive that she transferred you, and Finn…well, Finn is Finn. The others know, but I don't really know what they think about it. I snuck into the office and got your address because I had to make sure you were okay."

"I really am, Noah. I really like it here. It is tough sometimes because I can't really do whatever I like, but she is around, and when she isn't my Aunt Kate is. It so different here, Noah." Rachel said, leaning against Puck's shoulder.

She missed Puck's face sadden by her comments. He and Rachel had always needed one another, and now she had someone. Someone else. It didn't change the fact that he loved Rachel. He truly felt that this was the best thing for Rachel, so he was happy for his girlfriend, even if it meant that they didn't get to hang out as much.

"I am so happy for you, baby." Puck said, bending his head down and kissing Rachel again.

"Noah, would you like to stay for supper?" Shelby said, effectively breaking the make out session in front of her up. She definitely did not approve of them making out on her staircase. Or in her house. Or anywhere really.

Puck stood up and helped Rachel up as well.

"No thank you, Coach Corcoran. I must get going. I have to pick my sister up. I left her with Santana and Quinn. I just wanted to check on Rachel."

"Thank you for stopping by. After Rachel is finished being grounded for yesterday's stunt you all pulled, she can invite you back." Shelby said, eyeing him carefully.

Puck cleared his throat and nodded. This woman was very nerve wracking.

"Mama, I will walk Noah out, and I will be right back in." Rachel said. Shelby nodded and watched as the two walked out onto the porch, Rachel whispering something and then sharing a kiss before Puck went to his truck, leaving a trail of footsteps through the snowy yard.

Rachel was back in a moment later and stared at Shelby.

"You didn't have to tell him that I was grounded." Rachel said with a raised eyebrow.

Shelby raised an eyebrow of her own. A much more intimidating look that Rachel was not quite able to pull off yet, and the fifteen year old knew it.

"You shouldn't have been making out with him in my house." Shelby said, and then walked to the kitchen with a smile on her face because she had left her daughter speechless in the hallway.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Later that night, right before Rachel was to start getting ready for bed, Rachel and Shelby were in Rachel's room putting everything they had gotten away. Or as away as Shelby would let Rachel because Shelby insisted on most everything being washed first, especially the socks, bras and panties she had ended up with.

"Rachel, there is no way that you can wear this shirt." Shelby said from inside the closet.

Rachel looked up and noticed the shirt that Shelby was holding.

It was one she had had for a long time. It was purple and green and said Seriously Wicked over the front. Rachel had gotten it for Halloween from someone. She really liked that shirt.

"I still wear it." Rachel said, though she hadn't been able to fit in it for about three years.

"Rach, no. I think this weekend you need to clean out your drawers and closet. You don't have to throw anything away, but I do want you to at least box it up so we can put it in the attic so that you have more room in your closet."

"Okay." Rachel said, though she was not positive that she could do that. She liked her clothes right where they were.

Rachel looked at her new shoes and put them in the bottom of her closet, moving past Shelby as she did so. She loved how big her walk in closet was, and that she and her mother could both easily move around. Rachel then walked out and sat on her window seat.

"I had a lot of fun today, Mama. Thank you." Rachel said quietly.

Shelby stepped out of the closet and smiled down at Rachel.

"You are welcome, Rach."

"I don't understand though." Rachel asked, her head tilted to the side, her eyes far away in thought. Shelby knew that she was once again thinking of another time and place. Of something she didn't understand and something Shelby couldn't understand until Rachel talked to her. Rachel always got that look when she was fixing to admit to not understanding something.

"What do you not understand?" Shelby asked, moving to kneel in front of Rachel so that she could look up at her daughter.

"You were so upset with me yesterday. You grounded me and everything, but today you took me shopping even though I was bad and I didn't deserve it."

Shelby frowned.

"Rachel, look at me."

Rachel looked everywhere but at Shelby until Shelby reached up and turned her face gently down towards her.

"Rachel, yes, yesterday you did misbehave. You were punished for that. You are grounded for two weeks and you are not allowed to do anything but study or read or sit and work on the essay for sending Sunshine to the crack house. That was your punishment. The moment I found out that your shoes were too small, it would not have matter what you had done, I would have taken you to get new ones. Everything that we bought today was needed. You deserve to have the things you need, Rachel. Am I going to run out and buy you a new iPod just because you want another one? No, I am not. That is different. The things we bought today, Rachel, are things that you should have already had. I wish that you had told me that you needed those things. In the future, I hope that you will as well."

"But you are mad at me." Rachel sniffed, rubbing her eyes with her fist. She looked more like a small child than Shelby had ever seen her look in her confusion. She was also tired and trying not to cry, so those things did not make her look any older.

"I am not mad, Rachel. I was upset yesterday. I definitely was not happy, but we discussed this. You have been punished, and in two weeks you will have hopefully learned a lesson and we will leave everything in the past."

"So you are not mad at me? And you wanted to buy me those things today anyways?"

"I am not mad at you, Rachel, and I most definitely wanted to buy you those things today. You _needed_ those things. Had it you not needed the things we purchased today, Rachel, we would not have gone. But you did need them. Besides, how fun was it buying panties?" Shelby teased Rachel lightly.

Rachel smiled through her tears and leaned into her mother.

Shelby patted her back, all the while hoping that somehow that she had made Rachel understand that this was not a thing of want or anger or emotions at all.

It was simply what Rachel deserved. Rachel deserved to be loved, clothed, and fed.

Rachel deserved the world and Shelby was going to try and give it to her.

* * *

**AN: I am posting this sooner than I was going too...but I am not sure when I will post again. **

**I would love to know what you all thought about this chapter. What do you think is going to happen next? Does anyone have any comments, thoughts?**

**I realize that, in many areas, you may think that Rachel and Shelby are being a bit slow about their relationship and that Shelby should know Rachel a bit better than she does. You have to realize that just like Rachel is new to being a daughter, Shelby is new to being a mother and they have only been together about a month. Shelby doesn't have all the answers, and she doesn't always know what questions to ask. They are both working on it though, and so far, every question and comment that has been asked in the reviews, as far as I can remember, will be answered at some point in this text. **

**Thank you for all the reviews. I look forward to hearing from you. **


	12. Asking Santana

**Chapter Twelve: Asking Santana**

Rachel was on a mission. It was Friday and she was dressed in new clothes. She had woke up that morning when her mama had gently shaken her awake, and apparently her mama had stayed up the night before to wash and dry the things that she insisted be laundered before Rachel wore them.

So, today she was wearing a pair of jeans, a new sweater that she and Shelby had picked out, and new socks, panties, and bra. She felt fabulous except for a bit of a stuffy nose she had. She didn't remember the last time she had been dressed in a completely new outfit. Probably never.

Her mission, though, was to find Santana Lopez. She had questions to ask her. Important questions that she needed answers too, and Santana had those answers. At least, Rachel was pretty sure that the older girl had the answers to the questions that she had.

She had been looking for her all morning, but they had been late that morning because Aunt Kate had wanted to talk to Rachel about Wednesday. Rachel had apologized again, and told Kate that she was sorry that she had worried her, and that she would try not to again. The conversation had been awkward, but Kate had insisted that they have it.

It was just after lunch, and she had not seen Santana all day, probably because she was actively looking for her, but now she saw her. The Latina was walking into the bathroom. Rachel was right behind her.

"Santana!" Rachel yelled as she walked into the bathroom. Santana turned, her eyes wide at the nerve of Berry.

"What do you want, Man-Hands?" Santana said, staring down at Rachel. The name stung, but Rachel ignored it.

"I need to talk to you."

"So mommy didn't ship you off yesterday?" Santana asked with a menacing grin. Rachel backed up a bit. She hadn't been slushied in a long time, mainly because she dated Puck, but that grin was one that she had seen on other people right before freezing cold, colored ice was thrown at her.

"Oh geeze, Berry, I am not going to bite you, hell!" Santana said, her hand resting on her hip as she continued to stare at Rachel.

"I need to ask you something." Rachel said meekly.

"Well, ask!" Santana hissed at her.

Rachel looked around and noticed that they were alone in the bathroom.

She took a deep breath.

"I wanted to ask you about what your mother did to you the other day when she picked you up. Well, you and Quinn, but I figured I would be better off asking you."

Santana's eyes narrowed. What the hell was Berry talking about?

"What do you mean what my mother did to me?"

Rachel took a step back. Santana made her really nervous. Especially since she was quite a bit taller than Rachel.

"You know…your mom smacked your butt…" Before Rachel knew what was going on, Santana had her pushed against the wall, her feet barely touching the ground.

"You tell anyone about that, Berry, I swear I will kick your damn ass so hard your new mother won't know who the hell you are!" Santana hissed at the girl.

Rachel stared at Santana, the fear in her eyes evident, even to Santana who was rather upset herself. Rachel burst into tears.

"I only wanted to know if it was what all moms do! I wasn't going to tease you or tell anyone!" Rachel said through her tears. She felt Santana loosen her grip, and as soon as she could, Rachel shot out of the bathroom, running somewhere so that she could hide and cry.

She needed to cry.

Santana was shocked. She had never made Berry cry. Hell, she had been a mean ass bitch to the little midget, but she had never made her cry. No one had ever made Berry cry, now that Santana thought about it. Even after all those slushies were thrown at her, she just walked away with her head held high and cleaned up. Nothing ever made the girl cry.

"Shit." Santana said, running her hand over her face. She needed to go find her. She'd even let the munchkin diva ask her questions if the girl stopped freaking crying.

God, she hoped she hadn't broke Berry.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Santana skulked through the hallways for forty-five minutes before she finally broke down and went to the bathroom down the art and music hall where she knew Puckerman would be because he always skipped history.

Santana marched right into the bathroom and, sure enough, Puckerman was sitting on a chair he had lifted from somewhere.

"What the hell, Satan?" Puck yelled when the bathroom door banged against the wall.

"Where does the munchkin go when she skips class or is upset." Santana asked him, glaring at him.

Puck jumped up.

"What did you do to her?"

"Shut the hell up, Puckerman, and tell me where she is. She and I need to talk."

"I am not going to tell you if you are going try and hurt her feelings!"

Santana took a step forward and glared at him menacingly.

"Listen here, asshole, I am trying to help her. I need to know where she is. She wants to talk to me about something to do with her mother. Tell. Me. Where. The. Fuck. She. Is!" Santana said, getting up into Puck's face.

"God you evil demon! She is probably up in the scaffolding behind the stage in the auditorium. We make out there sometimes, other times we just chill."

"Gross, Puckerman. I don't need to hear about your make out sessions!"

Santana turned and walked towards the door.

"If you hurt her, I swear, Satan, I don't give a flying fuck that you are a girl, I will beat your ass!" Puck said, meaning every single word.

Santana turned and looked at him.

"I am not going to hurt her. Get your panties out of a wad."

Then Santana left, heading straight to the auditorium.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Santana climbed to the top of the scaffolding and sat on the edge of it and watched Rachel cry.

She honestly, though she would probably never admit it, felt badly that she lost her temper with the girl now that she watched her cry on the other end of the scaffolding. Rachel's legs were drawn up to her chest and she was crying into her arms.

"Berry."

Rachel coughed and sniffed.

"Leave me alone, Santana. I shouldn't have even tried to talk to you."

"Look, Berry, I am sorry. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. You can ask me your questions if you quit your damn blubbering." Santana said a bit harshly, though she was trying very hard to be nice to Rachel.

Rachel looked up at Santana, tears falling down her cheeks just like they had been for the last hour.

"I shouldn't have asked you anything." Rachel sniffed.

Santana sighed. Berry was not going to make this easy.

"Man, seriously, Berry! How would you feel if someone came up to you and was all 'I saw your mom smack your ass the other day'? I mean, seriously?"

Rachel looked at her oddly.

"That was why I wanted to talk to you! My mama did smack me that afternoon when she took me into her office. Twice. Then I saw that your mom swatted you. I wanted to know if it was what all moms do! I thought you might tell me." Rachel whispered through her cries.

Well hell. Berry had had a legit question.

"Look, I am sorry that I snapped at you, okay? I mean, it isn't like I go around telling people that my mom still smacks my ass when I mouth off to her. I mean, I am sixteen years old. The only person that really knows is Quinn, and that is because my mother has no worries about smacking her too when she gets an attitude. So, your mom smacked you?"

Rachel nodded and played with the fur on her new boots.

"Don't you think that I am too old?" Rachel asked, avoiding Santana's eyes at all costs.

Santana shrugged, then moved around to get more comfortable.

"Look, Berry. I am going to tell you shit that better not get around. I will make your life hell if it does, got it?" Santana said. Rachel finally looked up and met Santana's eyes.

"I promise that I won't say anything to anyone."

"My mom is like the real badass…I mean, she is hella more scary than me when she is upset. She has rules and I follow them. When I don't I get punished…well, if she finds out. I mean, I can still hide some things from her, but not always. Sometimes when I get mouthy, she smacks my ass just like you saw the other day. This summer I snuck out and she caught me sneaking back in, and she did more than smack my butt. She was really pissed."

"What did she do?"

Santana blushed, though she would forever deny it.

"Look, Berry, obviously I am a stubborn person. My mom is even more stubborn. Over the summer I snuck out, got wasted, and then snuck back in the house. My mom spanked me over that one. Normally it is like groundings and stuff, but for like major shit, the stuff that could get me hurt, or killed, or something like really bad, my mom spanks me. She has for as long as I can remember and she said that I will never be too old to go over her knee, even if it is the most embarrassing shit ever." Santana said.

Rachel looked at Santana for a few moments.

"I didn't know if I was too old. That afternoon my mom took me to apologize to my aunt for not being here at school when she came to pick me up, and my little cousin got a swat for hitting my other little cousin. But she is like ten, so I figured that I was too old."

"Yea, I don't think that it works that way with moms. I mean, I only know about my own mom, but she is pretty free with her swats on both me and Quinn."

"I wonder if my mama would spank me for putting my life in danger or something." Rachel said more to herself than to Santana. Santana looked at her and cracked up.

Rachel's head shot up.

"What?"

"Berry, you're new to this whole mother/daughter thing, but I think most moms who swat will spank if they think it is necessary. I mean, take Brittney's parents for instance, they like to talk things out. But that is because Brittney listens to what people say. You and me, Berry, we don't listen. We are too damned stubborn. I am willing to bet that your mom didn't swat you for breaking into her auditorium and skipping school. I am betting that you mouthed off to her and didn't stop until she swatted you. Right?"

Rachel blushed and nodded.

"It's because talking doesn't do a lot of good when we are spouting off how mad we are."

Rachel nodded. That actually made sense. The few swats she had gotten had been in the middle of her yelling at her mother.

"I was confused yesterday." Rachel said, now staring off into space.

"Why? Your mom let you skip school again yesterday! Hell, I heard through the grapevine the only day you have been in class all day this week was on Tuesday!"

"She was mad at me, and she lectured me for ages and then grounded me for two weeks and assigned me some random essay for sending Sunshine to that crack house, but then she found out my boots were too small so she called us both in yesterday and we went shopping. I have never been shopping like that before and we had a lot of fun." Rachel said wistfully, remembering the wonderful day that she had had the day before.

Santana suddenly felt sad, a feeling she truly didn't feel very often. Her mother told her that she still lacked empathy for other people. Maybe, though, maybe she was finally gaining some.

She was finally seeing a bit inside the life of Rachel Berry. And, she didn't like what she saw. She was so thankful for her mother and father in that moment.

"Why are you living with her now?" Santana suddenly asked.

Rachel looked at her, a tear sliding down her face.

"They didn't want me anymore. They hated me."

Santana shrugged. She knew that Rachel was talking about her fathers.

"That is their loss, Berry. It is obvious that your mom loves your scrawny ass. It was obvious when she caught us the other day. Hell we are probably lucky you were with us. My mom said that your mom could have had us arrested for sneaking in there and tearing shit up. And moms buy shit, Berry. They buy it when you need it. They buy it when you don't need it. They always want to make sure you have shit that fits. But with that comes their hovering and discipline and love and all that. They discipline you to make sure you learn something, and you reward them by toeing the line for a while. It's all a vicious circle, but somehow it works. That is just want parents are supposed to do." Santana ranted, not fully realizing that Rachel had never had even one parent who even liked her until her mother came along. Rachel finally smiled.

Slowly, Rachel scooted closer to Santana and looked in her eyes.

"Do you really think my mama loves me that much?"

Santana looked into Rachel's eyes. Into the uncertainty. Did Berry really feel that she wasn't loved? That confused Santana. Santana knew that she was loved. She knew her parents loved her. But she also knew that while her parents showed her their love constantly, Quinn's parents never showed her any affection. Santana's parents showed Quinn the only affection that she got. Had Berry's fathers been like Quinn's parents? Had they been cruel with their words and actions like Quinn's parents were? Did that explain the midget's constant need for attention in the past?

"Berry, your mom loves you. I promise."

Santana was surprised when she felt Berry suddenly wrap her arms around her and hug her. Santana did not do hugs.

But she didn't say anything. Instead, she awkwardly patted the girl's back and had a feeling that Berry was going to be like a lost kitten that she had fed.

She was never going to get rid of her now.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was sitting in the kitchen while Shelby cooked, her nose running and a cough wracking through her body every so often.

Shelby kept shooting her glances. She had known that Rachel was going to get sick after stepping in that cold, icy puddle!

"I talked to Santana today." Rachel said, watching her mother cook something. She wasn't quite sure what it was. Normally, Rachel didn't watch her mother cook, but since she was grounded, it was either sit in her room, bored, or talk to her mother. She would rather talk to her mother because at least then she wouldn't be bored.

"Oh? What did you two talk about?"

"I asked her if her mom swatted her like you swat me and if she thought we were too old." Rachel said, leaning her head against her hand.

Shelby raised an eyebrow. Oh, this was going to be good.

"And what was her conclusion?"

"She said that her mom said she would never too old, and that as moms, you can pretty much swat if you thought it was needed because you are the mom. She said that sometimes with people like me and her there is no other choice because we are too hardheaded to listen to reason and that is how you get our attention so that you can lecture or whatever.

Shelby smiled to her herself as she turned back to the stove. She was glad that her daughter had talked to Santana about it if those were the conclusions they came to. They were correct on most respects.

"I think Santana is a smart girl." Shelby said, tapping her spoon on the side of the pan and walking over to Rachel. She laid her hand gently on Rachel's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked, leaning into her mother's cool touch.

"You sound like you are getting sick."

"No…I am good. I am just really tired. It has been a long week." Rachel said.

Shelby patted her shoulder.

"Uh huh. If you start feeling bad, you need to let me know, Rach." Shelby said, knowing that her daughter was going to be stubborn about this too. She would just keep a closer watch on her over the next couple of days.

Rachel yawned and nodded.

"Okay. I will."

"Good girl." Shelby said and then went back to the stove to finish cooking their meal.

* * *

**AN: Comments? Thoughts? What do you think is going to happen next?**

**Again, I am not sure when the next update will be. It will happen eventually;) **

**Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it:)**


	13. Sick Day

**Chapter Thirteen: Sick Day**

By Sunday, Shelby knew that Rachel was truly sick. She had suspected it Friday. Saturday she watched Rachel carefully as the girl sniffled and coughed every once in a while as she moped around the house because she was grounded.

But on Sunday night, when Rachel came downstairs while Shelby was watching a random television show and working on some sheet music that she wanted VA to perform that week, and then sat nearly on top of her mother and leaned her head on her shoulder, Shelby knew something was up. Rachel had never sat with her like that before.

Shelby momentarily thought about leaving the television on and letting Rachel watch it since she was not feeling well, but that would be sending mixed messages to her already too often confused daughter, so she clicked off the TV and set her work off to the side. She moved her hand over to pat Rachel's leg and she was not surprised when Rachel took her hand and began playing with her ring, something she had done several times that week.

"What is wrong, sweetheart?" Shelby asked, bringing her other hand up to feel Rachel's head.

Rachel sniffed and then coughed.

"Just my head. It hurts a little bit." Rachel said. Shelby could tell that her head was stopped up, her nose stuffy and runny all at once, and she sounded like her throat was a bit raw. She also felt like she had a bit of a fever.

"Are you sure that is all? You feel a little bit warm."

"Nah, I am okay. It is just my head. It hurts. But only a little." Rachel said, cuddling further into her mother's side, something she had never really done.

"I will get you some medicine to take." Shelby said. She didn't move though because Rachel was still holding onto her. She loved when Rachel held onto her.

"I am bored too." Rachel said quietly.

Shelby smiled.

"Maybe you should read a book." Shelby knew that Rachel had several books. Perhaps one day they needed to go to a bookstore so that Rachel could find a few more.

"My head hurts though."

"Would you like me to read to you?" Shelby asked. Rachel instantly looked up, tears glistening in her eyes, her face flushed from her apparent fever. Shelby could tell that she didn't feel good and that she was frustrated.

"You would really read too me?"

Shelby nodded, "Of course."

"I would really like that. No one has ever read to me." Rachel said, slowly standing up. Shelby stood up and looked down at her daughter.

"Pick out a book and we will read it. I will read to you until you fall asleep." Shelby said, walking to the kitchen to get some Tylenol for Rachel.

"I know which one I want." Rachel said, following her.

"Yea? Which one?" Shelby asked as she dug thorough the cabinet that held all of the medicine.

"_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone._" Rachel said as Shelby handed her first two Tylenol and then a glass of freshly poured apple juice. Rachel took them and then handed the glass back to her mother.

"Sounds good. Come on."

Together, the two of them walked in Rachel's room, and Shelby watched as Rachel went to the opposite side of her bed and lifted her mattress, pulling out a very worn copy of the Harry Potter book that Shelby had never seen.

Shelby looked at her curiously as Rachel shed her pajama pants she had lounged around in all day and then climbed in the bed, Perry the Platypus's face stamped on her behind. Shelby smiled because Rachel had been so excited to find those panties when they were shopping.

Shelby kicked her shoes off and climbed up on the bed beside her daughter, fixing the pillows behind her so that she could sit up comfortably.

"Rach?"

"Yea?" Rachel said, scooting further down into her blankets and then sneaking her hand under her pillow to slowly pull her rabbit out and put him under the blankets where he couldn't be seen. Shelby knew that the rabbit was against Rachel's stomach though. Rachel usually kicked her blankets off in the middle of the night, so when Shelby came in to wake her in the morning, the rabbit was always held tightly against her stomach.

"Why did you have this book hidden under the mattress?" Shelby ran her fingers over the worn cover.

Most of Rachel's books were lined up on her desk.

"I have to hide it so they don't burn it." Rachel said, her eyes were already growing heavy, but she couldn't wait to hear her mom read to her from her favorite book. Shelby knew that since Rachel was nearly asleep already, she could probably get her to talk quite a bit more than normally because her defenses weren't as high. Rachel always talked more when she was confused or tired.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

Rachel yawned and snuggled further down into the blankets.

"I was reading it when I was ten, and then one day I asked my dads if I was like Harry. If one day my mama was going to come take me away so that I could be happy. When I got home the next day, they were throwing my Harry Potter books in the fireplace. I had left this one at school in my desk. They said that only selfish children like Harry Potter were ungrateful for what they had because they could have been dropped off at orphanages. I have never got to read any of the others, but I really want too. They were wrong though. They said that my mama didn't want me and would never save me. You did though." Rachel said, then slid her hand out from underneath the blanket and touching her mother's bare arm as she closed her eyes and sniffed her runny nose.

Shelby's thoughts were rolling, thinking about what Rachel had just told her. She would be going and buying her daughter the rest of the Harry Potter books sometime this week. No matter what else, her daughter would have those books. Shelby was brought out of her thoughts when Rachel spoke.

"Mama, my head really hurts." Rachel said, a sniffle in her voice.

"I know, sweetheart. If you don't feel better in the morning, we will do something about it. If you feel worse tonight, I want you to come wake me up. Okay?"

"Okay. Will you read to me now?" Rachel asked, closing her eyes again.

"Of course, sweetheart…" Shelby opened the book and finally began to read as she placed one hand on her daughter, and held the book in the other.

"_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense…_."(Rowling).

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby woke up at about three in the morning when she heard Rachel's coughing get worse. She had made sure that both of their doors were left wide open so that she could hear Rachel if she needed anything. The doors were directly across from one another, and if Shelby leaned out of her bed a bit, she could see into Rachel's room.

Shelby climbed out of bed and walked into Rachel's room. The girl was still asleep, but had kicked off her blankets and was shivering. Shelby reached down and picked up the blankets so that she could cover Rachel up and then placed her head lightly against Rachel's head. She was burning up. Shelby sighed. She didn't really want to wake Rachel up, but she couldn't let her go on with a fever and she needed some cough medicine as well, or her poor throat was going to be raw.

Shelby walked downstairs and rummaged through the medicine cabinet to pull out Tylenol and cough syrup, pouring the latter into a medicine cup. She then poured a cup of apple juice and then headed back upstairs.

Sitting on the side of Rachel's bed and placing everything in her hands on the nightstand. She gently shook Rachel into a semi conscious state.

"Wassa matta?" Rachel said groggily, a cough tearing through her body.

"Shh. I want you to take some more medicine. You have a fever and a bad cough."

"M'head hurts." Rachel said, leaning against Shelby, her head on Shelby's shoulder.

"I know, sweetheart. Here, sit up so that you can take this medicine."

Within five minutes, Shelby had Rachel settled back down, blankets tightly around her, and she was sleeping again. Shelby went into her office and started looking through papers. She didn't know when the last time Rachel had gone to the doctor was, but she was going, as soon as Shelby could get her an appointment.

She quickly found the name of the last doctor Rachel had seen. She had been in the fifth grade, about ten, it seemed. That was when everything started going badly for Rachel it seemed. Shelby put the number over on her desk and planned on calling as soon as she could in the morning.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel padded down into the kitchen when she woke up, feeling horrible, but needing to eat breakfast so that she could get ready for school. Her mom hadn't woke her up that morning, so she concluded that breakfast must not be finished cooking.

She was surprised to find Shelby sitting at the table reading a magazine and drinking coffee.

Rachel walked over to her mother, and for the first time but without a thought, sat on her mother's lap, lying her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Why didn't you wake me up? Aren't you going to make me breakfast?" Rachel asked when she noticed that it was lighter outside than it normally was when she got up. Shelby pushed her magazine and coffee further onto the table and then wrapped her arms around Rachel. It seemed that a sick Rachel was a clingy Rachel.

Shelby just wanted to soak it in. She loved the feeling of Rachel, of her baby girl, cuddling with her on her lap.

"I was letting you sleep in. It is nine o'clock. You aren't going to school this morning. I called you in. Besides, it seems that last week you only went one full day as it was. Now, I don't know where you might have been on Monday and Friday, since I know Wednesday you skipped school to come visit me at Caramel and then Thursday I took you out to get some necessary clothing and shoes…"

Shelby smiled when she felt Rachel stiffen in her arms.

"…but don't worry, we will talk about it later. Right now, I want you to get ready. You have a doctor's appointment in two hours so you have an hour. Wear something comfortable because that is the only thing we are doing, and then we are coming back home. I will make you breakfast while you are showering."

Tears instantly sprung to Rachel's eyes.

"I don't want to go to the doctor! I am okay, I promise. My head doesn't even hurt anymore. I want to go to school." Rachel whined through her tears. Shelby was surprised that Rachel didn't try to get off her lap and storm off. Instead, the girl just cried. She could tell that Rachel still felt horrible. Her voice was froggy, her nose was still running, and she still sounded stuffy.

"Why do you not want to go to the doctor? You are sick, Rachel." Shelby asked, rubbing Rachel's back.

When she had talked to the receptionist, and then the doctor after explaining some of the situation to the receptionist, she had been told that Rachel needed some shots and it might not go over well with the fifteen year old. Apparently, they had had to catch up on many of the shots that Rachel was supposed to have gotten when she was eleven and up because the last time that Rachel had been to the doctor they had had to play catch up with her four to six year old shots. The doctor said that she had written in the margins of Rachel's notes, and the visit had not gone well. In fact, the doctor vividly remembered the visit without her notes, but had not seen Rachel since then.

"Please don't make me go. I will get better in a few days. I promise." Rachel cried and tears fell onto Shelby's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, you have to go to the doctor. I realize that you don't want too, but you have too. Now go get ready. Remember, there is no need to get dressed up. Just throw on something warm and comfortable." Shelby said, gently standing Rachel up and then guiding the girl to the bottom of the stairs.

"I will make you breakfast while you are getting ready, okay?"

Rachel sniffed and nodded. She really did look pitiful and Shelby felt sorry for her. She wished that she could take all of her baby girl's fears away. She wished that she could understand them. But she couldn't, and they had to face them head on instead of her letting Rachel bottle them up. Slowly but surely, she was starting to learn what it was to be a mother to her daughter; this was just another one of those steps.

"Go on, Rachel." Shelby urged her. Rachel finally nodded again and then headed up the stairs. She didn't want to go to the doctor. She remembered the last time, and it had been horrible. She had had to get shots, and her fathers had left her in the patient room alone, and then a nurse had been mean and then had had to hold her down while she screamed and cried because she had been so afraid.

Rachel didn't want to go to the doctor. What if her mama left her there? She hated going to the doctor. Hated it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Getting Rachel inside the doctor's office had been a challenge. She had practically dragged her daughter from the car to the waiting area. Shelby had signed Rachel in while the girl, dressed in jeans, heavy sweater, boots, hat, and scarf, sat in a chair and sniffled, trying to hide her tears at being forced to come to the doctor's. This was so stupid!

Oh, wait. She could leave. She could even walk to school because it wasn't very far from here.

She made her move to stand up, but instantly felt a hand wrapped around her arm and pulling her back down.

"Don't even think about it. You are going to see the doctor, and you are not going to school until she clears you to do so."

"What about you? You missed two practices last week already." Rachel said, rubbing her aching nose with the back of her hand.

Shelby dug through her purse and grabbed some anti bacterial gel and held it over Rachel's hand and squirted some out. She watched as Rachel sighed and rubbed her hands together until it disappeared, and then she handed Rachel two tissues.

"Stop using your hand." Shelby gently chastised. Rachel rolled her eyes. She wasn't a toddler, she didn't need to be told that!

"What about your practice?" Rachel asked again.

"It is canceled today, and I will see about tomorrow." Shelby said. She did need to have practice, but Rachel's health was more important.

"Kurt said the other day that you are well known as a badass and that you never cancel practice." Rachel said.

"Yes, well, it was canceled today."

"You canceled twice last week too."

"No, I canceled once. You and your friends canceled for me on Wednesday." Shelby pointed out.

Rachel coughed and leaned down in her chair.

"I am fine at the house by myself. You never leave me there alone for more than an hour. I can take care of myself." Rachel said.

"I know you can take care of yourself," despite the fact that you have no idea what foods you can eat, Shelby thought, "but you are not going too. It is not your job to take care of yourself. It is my job to take care of you."

"I mean, you could have practice, and then come home. I would be okay." And I could have Puck come over, Rachel thought to herself.

"No. Today my practice is canceled. We will see what the doctor says before I decide about tomorrow. Maybe Aunt Kate can come stay with you after school. She would probably like taking off early."

"No." Rachel said sharply. She liked Aunt Kate just fine, but she didn't want her to try and take care of her.

"Calm down, we don't know what is wrong with you yet, Rach. We will talk about what we are going to go tomorrow after we know."

Right then, Rachel's name was called, and Shelby stood up, holding her hand out for Rachel to take. Rachel shed a few more tears, then took her mother's hand and looked up at her.

"Are you going to stay with me, or leave me in there by myself?"

Shelby stopped in mid step and looked at her daughter.

"I am going in there with you, Rachel. I will not leave you in there to see the doctor by yourself."

Rachel nodded and the two went towards the nurse and followed her back into a patient room after Rachel was measured and weighed. Shelby sat down in one of the two available chairs, and Rachel sat on her lap much like she had that morning. It really did surprise Shelby. Rachel was normally not a clingy child.

Or maybe she was a clingy child and she was just now beginning to feel like she could openly show affection to her mother.

Shelby rubbed her back with one hand and held her in place with the other. Rachel's forehead was resting on the crook of Shelby's neck.

"It is going to be okay." Shelby said softly just as the door opened and a woman in her mid forties stepped in smiling at Shelby.

Dr. Warren remembered the last time that Rachel Berry had been in her office. Her fathers had made her go back into the office by herself knowing that the little girl would need shots that they had failed to show up for when she was six and not wanting to deal with it. It had taken three nurses to hold the small girl down then. She had only been around eleven. Now she was fifteen, but she was not much bigger than she had been at eleven.

Dr. Warren, while already having been told by Shelby that the mother was not going to leave Rachel alone, had a feeling that this visit was not going to end well.

Grabbing the rolling chair that was in the room, Dr. Warren sat directly in front of Rachel.

"Rachel, would you like to get up on the table so that I can check you out?"

Rachel shook her head no.

"Okay, we don't have too right now. I do have to check you out though, okay? I need you to turn around so that I can look in your ears, nose, and mouth. Can you do that for me?"

Rachel nodded and turned around so that she could face the doctor. She let the doctor check her ears, then her nose, and finally she opened her mouth and let her look in there.

"Can you say, 'ahhhh'?"

Rachel did as she was bid, then leaned back against Shelby as the doctor wrote in her notes.

"Okay Rachel, can you sit up and let me listen to your lungs?"

Rachel did as she was told and let the doctor listen to her cough and breathe in and out.

Soon, the doctor stood up and smiled at Rachel.

"Okay, Rachel, I will be right back. Do you mind if I borrow your mom for a few moments? We will be right out in the hallway."

"I guess." Rachel said, standing up so that Shelby could leave the room. Suddenly, Rachel wasn't sure that she liked this.

"You said you wouldn't leave me alone." Rachel's voice broke right before Shelby went to follow the doctor.

Shelby stopped and turned while Dr. Warren watched the scene in front of her.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart. I am going to be right by the door. I will leave it cracked so you can see me, okay? Why don't you play on my phone while I am out there." Shelby said. Since Rachel was grounded, her phone was hidden in Shelby's room with all of her other electronics.

"Okay. Can I text Noah? Please?" Rachel asked. She wanted to let her boyfriend know that she was sick.

"Sure." Shelby said. Had she thought about it earlier, she would have let Rachel text her boyfriend before now. She knew that the boy worried about Rachel, that much had been obvious on Thursday when he was waiting on their doorstep for them when they got home. There was no telling how long he had had to wait there for them. It was also obvious that neither he nor Rachel cared about skipping school because school had not yet been out when they got home from shopping.

Out in the hallway, Shelby stood in front of Dr. Warren and prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to be told.

"I have some news that I do not think that Rachel is going to be happy about. She is five feet tall and weighs ninety-three pounds, which is a little underweight, but only a few pounds, so she is fine in that area. Since you told me that she has been forced into a vegan lifestyle, I would like to take a blood sample to check her iron levels, and I would like to put her on some vitamins and also get for her to get more protein. You said that she asked you about eating meat when we talked on the phone today, and if she really wants to try, I would go for it. Just not a lot at a time. Too much in the beginning, especially red meat which is what she needs for low iron levels, will make her sick. Eggs are another source of protein, so if you can get her to eat those, then that would also help. Like I told you this morning, she needs four shots, Tdap, HPV, MCV4, and Flu. It would be best to go ahead and play catch up today. She may become drowsy, and if she reacts as she did last time, she will be very tired by the time you get her home, if not before them. I also want you to keep an eye on her tonsils. While it is not necessary right now, I am afraid that they will have to come out eventually…"

"No!" Rachel shouted from the doorway. She had been going to see what was taking so long, and she had caught the tail end of that conversation.

"Rachel!" Shelby chastised. She knew what this was about before anything else was said. She and Rachel were more alike than either of them gave credit for, and she remembered having a similar fight with Kate when she was fourteen.

"I have to be able to sing! That surgery could ruin my voice!" Rachel said, tears pouring down her face.

Shelby looked at the doctor and motioned for her to come back in the little room. They all did, and Dr. Warren closed the door behind them.

"Rachel, we just have to keep an eye on your tonsils for now. They do not have to come out right this moment. Unfortunately, it is something that runs in our family. I had mine out when I was fourteen and I was fine." Shelby said gently. She saw no need in telling her daughter that she had thrown a massive fit resulting in her being grounded by Kate for a week. It might have also involved a vase that had been their mother's smashing against the door when Kate had walked out of the room. Kate had been really pissed off about that stupid vase being thrown in her direction, even if it had been after she had left the room.

"I don't care!" Rachel sobbed.

"We are not going to worry about it now, okay, Rachel? Forget all about it." Shelby looked at Dr. Warren and sent her a look that told her that she would definitely watch it, and since she had had the same issue, she knew what to look for. Dr. Warren nodded.

After a few moments, Shelby got Rachel calmed down and sitting on her lap again.

Dr. Warren moved her rolling stool to sit in front of the mother and daughter.

"Rachel, we are going to need to do some things that you might not like, but it is very important for your health."

Rachel stared at the woman in front of her. This did not sound good. It did not sound good at all.

"First we need to draw some blood, and then after that, there are a few shots that you missed that you need to catch up on." The doctor told her gently.

Rachel's eyes grew wide.

"No. Absolutely not! Mama! You can't let her!" Rachel said, her breathing picking up.

"Rachel, you have to have these shots. I know that you don't want them, but they are important, or we wouldn't even worry about them." Dr. Warren said.

"No! I remember last time! Your nurse was a bitch!" Rachel hissed. She felt a firm pat on her backside when the word left her mouth and she felt Shelby bend down and hiss, "Watch it, Rachel. I know that you are upset, but your behavior is unacceptable."

Tears poured down Rachel's face as she began to get worked up on a completely different level.

"Rachel, that nurse no longer works here." Dr. Warren said. The nurse in question had been older and liked things to go her way. Rachel had been afraid and alone that day, and the nurse had not been sympathetic to Rachel's needs in the least. The woman had been forced into an early retirement after Rachel. The nurse's attitude had been one of the reasons that Rachel's fathers had left her alone in the room and the reason they had needed three other nurses to hold Rachel down to get the shots.

"I have a new nurse now, she is really nice and she is going to come take your blood first. You can sit on your mother's lap if you feel safer there."

Dr. Warren really wanted this to go smoothly and she would do anything that she could to make Rachel feel safe.

About ten minutes later, a nurse came in to take Rachel's blood. Shelby felt her stiffen, and held onto her tightly.

"Hi, Rachel, I am Liz. I am going to take your blood, and I promise that it will be quick and painless. I bet you won't even realize it if you close your eyes and lean back on your mom."

Shelby was thankful that Rachel did as she was told, and leaned back, hiding her face in Shelby's hair. Sure enough, despite flinching once, Rachel didn't feel a thing and was surprised when the nurse told her that she was finished.

"Now, a friend of mine is going to come in here and give you the shots you need. She will be really easy and you will barely feel a thing."

"No. I am ready to go. Mama, I am ready to go." Taking blood was one thing, getting four shots was a completely different thing.

"Rachel." Shelby said as the nurse walked out of the room with a sympathetic smile sent to Shelby.

Rachel stood up and looked at her mother.

"I am ready to go. Let's go." Rachel said, heading towards the door. Shelby shot up and grabbed Rachel as the door opened and then pulled her back. It was a struggle though.

"No! I am not getting shots! I don't care what you do! No!" Rachel yelled. She struggled against her mother, tears rolling down her face. Why didn't her mother understand?

"Rachel, I do understand. I know that you are scared. If you didn't need these shots, I would have you out of here in a minute."

Rachel turned and stared at her mother. She must have said that out loud. She hadn't meant too.

"Please. Please, let me go home."

Shelby leaned towards a box of tissues and grabbed several so that she could wipe the tears and mucus off of Rachel's face.

"Please."

"No, sweetheart. Calm down. Come sit down." Shelby said, as a different nurse came in, four syringes in her hand.

Rachel's eyes went wide and she backed away from her mother just as Dr. Warren came in and closed the door. Dr. Warren had figured it would take all three of them to get this taken care of. Normally, she didn't stay in the room when shots were given because it was easily taken care of by nurses, but she knew what Rachel went through last time, and she knew that Rachel had bad memories of it. It was no surprise that she was overreacting now.

Shelby, still holding onto Rachel, sat down in her chair and pulled Rachel down on her lap.

"No!" Rachel said, struggling against her mother. Why was she so short? It wasn't fair! If she was taller, she could get away from her mother.

She was not letting them pull her sleeves up though. She had the ends of her sleeves held tightly in her hands.

"Rachel, I am Avalyn. If you sit and take these shots, I have a few suckers that you can have."

Rachel stared at her like she was nuts. She was fifteen, not three. Bribes totally did not work with her.

"You can take your sucker and go fu…"

"Rachel Barbra!" Shelby said, shaking her lightly. The nurse was trying hard not to laugh simply because it was a bit amusing. She had heard from Dr. Warren that the girl would not take these shots lying down, so she had known it would be interesting.

"Rachel, I need you to bare your shoulder. I will put two in each shoulder."

"You won't." Rachel said, and crossed her arms.

Shelby was finally starting to lose her patience. She reached up to grab the sleeve of Rachel's shirt, but the girl fought her. She fought her like something was trying to kill her.

Rachel was struggling so much, in fact, that she started to fall off of her mother's lap, only for Shelby to catch her and have her lying over her knees on her stomach within seconds.

Rachel vaguely heard the nurse say that she could give the shots elsewhere.

Rachel then heard her mother say, "That would probably be best."

Rachel felt Shelby reach down between her legs and under Rachel and undo the button and zip of her pants.

"Stop!" Rachel cried, not truly understanding what was going on until someone pulled her pants down to mid thigh, and then she felt something cold and wet rub across her behind.

She started to struggle a bit more, but was only rewarded with her mother moving her own leg and catching Rachel's legs underneath it. Rachel was now completely immobilized. She felt the first shot suddenly, and cried harder. It was quickly followed by the second, then the third. After the third, right before the fourth, Rachel was so worked up that she vomited all over the floor and her mother's pants. No one missed a beat as the fourth and final shot was given, bandaids were added, and Rachel was sat upright in her mother's lap, Shelby's arms wrapped around her and rocking her back and forth.

"Shh. Was that so bad?" Shelby asked. She caught the doctor's look after she said it and the doctor was nodding with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"We will have someone in here to clean that up in just a second. I will come back in ten minutes with her prescriptions. Her blood work, the main things, should be complete by then." Dr. Warren said. Shelby nodded and continued to rock Rachel, whose cries were finally starting to subside.

Shelby could feel her tears and probably everything else that could possibly run from her nose and eyes, seeping into her own shirt. But in that moment, she didn't care. She only cared that her daughter was so upset. She only cared that her child had been so upset about something that was so simple.

"I am sorry," Rachel sobbed, "I am not a little kid." Rachel finished through a wet cough and a hiccup.

"You were upset, Rachel. You have gone through things that I can't understand. You have fears that I can only try to understand. But I will try to. You are not a little kid just because you are afraid, Rachel."

"I am sorry." Rachel said again.

"It is okay, Rachel." Though, Shelby realized, they were definitely going to have to work on the language Rachel had taken to using that day.

A nurse came in and made quick work of cleaning up the floor, and even the vomit on Shelby's pants, as Shelby rocked Rachel back and forth for several moments until the girl finally, more or less, stopped crying. Shelby sat her up and took the tissues that either the doctor or nurse had moved closer to her, and began cleaning up Rachel's face.

Rachel looked down and blushed. Her pants were still midway down her thighs. She stood up quickly and pulled them up, buttoning and zipping them back up.

"My behind hurts." Rachel said quietly. Shelby opened her arms so that Rachel would know that she was welcome to sit back on her lap. Rachel took the opportunity and sat on her mother's lap. She leaned against her shoulder and blushed slightly when Shelby rubbed her backside, trying to relieve some of the pain that Rachel was feeling from the shots she had gotten.

"What is wrong with me?" Rachel asked.

"What do you mean?" Shelby asked, though she suspected that she knew what Rachel meant.

"I don't know why it freaked me out so much. It was like I couldn't control it. Now that it is over, I feel stupid. Like a little kid." Rachel whispered.

"Hey. Stop that. I knew that it was going to be rough. Dr. Warren knew it too. She warned me that it might be. Last time you had to get shots was traumatic. Maybe next time you will remember that it wasn't so bad this time, and it will be better."

"I am sorry that I freaked out."

"Stop telling me you are sorry. It is okay, Rachel. You were scared. It is okay to be scared." Shelby said, just as Dr. Warren came back in the room.

Rachel looked at the doctor.

"Will you tell your nurse that I am sorry about what I said?"

Dr. Warren smiled.

"Yes, Rachel. I will. Now, I just came back in here to tell your mom that you have a sinus infection as well as a bit of a cold. You had a fever when you came in, and until your fever is gone for twenty-four hours, you need to stay at home. Drink plenty of liquids and eat as much as you feel you can. You need to get plenty of rest as well. I imagine that you will get quite a bit of sleep today. Now, your mom and I talked about you being vegan, and as I suspected, your iron is low. If you choose to try eating meat, that will help. Your mom told me that that was going to be completely your decision. I did warn her though, that if you choose to eat meat, it would have to be a slow process, which your mother said she had expected. A bit here and there to see whether you can stomach it at all. Your mom has your prescriptions…"

Rachel blanked out about halfway through the conversation. Her mom would give her the medicine anyways. She knew that. So she didn't really have to listen to the conversation.

Soon, Rachel and Shelby were headed back home, having got her prescriptions and some more apple juice for Rachel. Once they got home, Shelby helped a very groggy Rachel inside and into the living room to lie on the couch. Within moments, the girl was asleep.

Shelby was glad. She needed to shower. The day was not half over and she had been thrown up on, cried on, and snotted all over.

But she wouldn't change a moment of it. She loved being able to finally mother her child.

* * *

**AN: So, what did you think? Any thought about what might happen next?**

**Any general thoughts or comments?**

**Thank you for all the reviews:) I like know what people think. It makes writing a lot easier:)**


	14. Trellis Trekking

**Chapter Fourteen: Trellis Trekking **

Rachel woke up several hours later, in fact it was nearing five in the afternoon, her head still aching and her mind fuzzy. And her behind hurt from those shots. She made quick work of shedding her pants. She had shed her sweater earlier, and now was in a long tank top and her underwear. Today they were Scooby Doo. Rachel got off of the couch and walked towards the kitchen, rubbing her eyes with one hand and the spots on her backside with the other.

"Mama?" Rachel called out.

"I am in the kitchen, Rachel."

Rachel walked into the kitchen and was shocked to see her aunt sitting at the bar across from her mother.

"Mama!" Rachel chastised, and then backed out of the room. She didn't have any pants on!

"Rachel, calm down. You have a pair of sweats in the laundry room. I will get them." Shelby said with a smile since Rachel couldn't see her. The last time she had looked in on Rachel, the girl had had her pants on. She must have just shed them. It surprised Shelby, though, that she seemed to even care. The girl slept in a tank top and her panties every night, nothing else. She even walked around the house like that and didn't seem to care if Shelby saw her.

Shelby quickly went into the laundry room and grabbed the pair of Rachel's comfy sweat pants. She had seen Rachel rubbing her backside, so she knew that the place she had gotten the shots was hurting. The doctor and nurse had both told her that they might hurt, especially since Rachel had been so tense during the shots. There had already been bruising when they left the doctor's office.

"Here, Miss Priss."

"Mama." Rachel whined. She really didn't feel well, and her mama kept teasing her.

"Come on." Shelby said with a laugh. Rachel followed her into the kitchen and then when Shelby sat on the stool she had vacated, Rachel leaned against her and stared at her aunt.

"How are you feeling, Rachel?" Kate asked her.

Rachel sniffed her still runny nose.

"I feel okay. My head still hurts though." Rachel said. Shelby reached up and felt Rachel's head.

"You feel like you still have a fever too. We will take your temperature in a bit. You have some medicine to take as well."

"Yea." Rachel whispered, and sniffed and coughed some more.

"You have to be fever free for twenty-four straight hours before you go back to school." Shelby said as she watched her daughter closely.

"It is boring here though. I can't do anything." Rachel said. She was still grounded despite being sick, and spending all day sitting around when she already didn't feel good already sucked.

"If you can behave and you realize that it won't be the norm if you get grounded again, I might revoke your non-use of the television. But you can't have anything else back."

"Really?"

"Yes. But realize it is only because you are sick. I think instead, I will implement an early bedtime." Shelby said sternly. Rachel didn't have to know that Shelby was implementing said bedtime because the girl needed her rest.

Rachel nodded sullenly at the thought of an early bedtime, but if she was able to watch television during the day, it might not be too bad. She then looked at her aunt and smiled mischievously up at her mother.

"Aunt Kate?"

Kate looked at her and, despite how sick Rachel looked, she could see the delight dancing in her eyes. She was up to something. This was going to be good, Kate was sure of it.

"Yes?"

"Mama said that I have to research a crack house as punishment. I know where one is at, so I was wondering if we could stop by there one day after school. You know, so I could ask questions." Rachel asked.

Rachel heard her mother gasp and watched as her aunt turned a heated gaze towards her little sister.

"Shelby Margaret!"

"Don't Shelby Margaret me, Weazy! I didn't mean that kind of research and she knows it! Rachel Barbra!" Shelby said quickly. She almost felt like a teenager again, being chastised by her big sister. It sent a chill down her back. Her VA kids would really get a kick out of that. The infamous Coach Corcoran afraid of her big sister.

Rachel burst out laughing and she looked at her aunt.

"Weazy? What the hell is a 'Weazy'?" Rachel giggled.

She felt a light swat to the side of her leg and looked at her mother.

"What did I do?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide.

"Go look at your list on the fridge."

"But…Weazy?" Rachel said, as she turned around to look at the list of rules her mother had taped to the side of the fridge.

There was another rule.

_No Cursing._

"Ugh, Mama!" Rachel said. Another rule? Really? She didn't need another rule. She needed less rules so that she could remember them all.

"You are lucky all I did was add a rule to that list. Your language today has been horrible. Don't think I don't know what you were about to tell that nurse what she could do with those suckers this afternoon, young lady."

"Yes ma'am." Rachel sighed, "Tell me about Weazy."

Kate was sending a glare at her older sister. No one other than Shelby ever called her that.

"When I was two, I heard our mother call her Katherine Louise…I heard Louise and started calling her Weazy. The name stuck." Shelby said with a bit of a laugh despite the fact that her sister did not look particularly happy. She had always hated that name.

"So, Aunt Weazy, what do you think about the crack house research?" Rachel said with a smile as she leaned back into her mother.

"Ha! See if I bring you two heathens comfort food ever again." Kate said, though her tone was light.

"You brought food?" Rachel asked suddenly. Why would she do that?

"Yes, I did. I stopped by The Eatery and asked Matt to order the vegan lasagna you usually order on Mondays for two because you were sick."

"Why would you do that?" Rachel asked.

"Because you are sick."

"So. I mean, Mama cooks."

"Yes, but now she won't have too. She will be able to focus on you."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Besides, I am sure that Mama needs to go back to school tomorrow. Vocal Adrenaline is probably really falling flat in her absence. From what I have heard and read, they tend to sing flat and off key and their lead thinks that he is better than anyone else but can't get his voice as deep as he should…."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa….my kids are not flat or off key." Shelby said, her eyes wide at her daughter's declaration.

"So you admit that your lead thinks that…"

"So, Rachel, are you sure that nothing else is wrong? You sound really stuffy. Your mother said she had some medicine for you. Something that will get rid of that cough and your headache." Kate cut in. She didn't feel like listening to an argument and she knew how Shelby could get. She was going to go in Coach Corcoran mode soon, and Rachel needed her mother, not Coach Corcoran, while she was sick.

"I already said my head hurts." Rachel said quietly. It really did hurt. Worse than it had that morning.

"Do you want to go sit on the couch after you take your medicine?" Shelby asked, reaching to check Rachel's head again.

Rachel nodded and looked up at her mother.

"Will you give me some medicine and then sit with me?"

Shelby smiled. She did love her clingy Rachel.

"I will." Shelby then got up and went to the cabinet where she had put Rachel's medicine as the teenager walked back into the living room to sit down.

"She is so much like you, Shelly. So much." Kate said, thinking back to Shelby's teenage years.

"Surely I was not as hard headed as she seems to be." Shelby teased. She knew that she had given her sister a hard time when she was going through her teenage years. They were both lucky to have survived.

"Remember when you had to have your tonsils taken out?" Kate asked with a raised eyebrow.

Just like Shelby's raised eyebrow was more intimidating than Rachel's, Kate's was more intimidating than Shelby's.

"Or, Shelly, when you skipped school with Robbie Leeks and then didn't come home until three hours after your curfew?"

"You tore me up for that." Shelby said with a grimace, remembering how much trouble she had gotten into for skipping school and then not coming home until ten at night. Kate had been livid.

"You also snuck into an R rated movie and then stole some woman's popcorn while you were supposed to be in school. Not to mention you ran from the cops that one time…" Kate said.

Shelby blushed. She had been fifteen when a lot of that happened and Kate had been twenty-three. By then, though, Shelby had known that Kate was, for all purposes, her mother. In fact, Kate had been a better mother to her than their own mother had been.

Their mother had been a good mother, but she had not been nearly as attentive and active in their lives as Kate had been in hers. Kate had rules and Shelby, for the most part, followed them. But there had been some times when Shelby had gotten into major trouble with her big sister because she had liked testing limits.

"She reminds me of you, Shelly. But that is not a bad thing. You turned out pretty well." Kate said with a smile, reverting back to Shelby's comfort name. She often called her Shelly when she was comforting her.

"I had a good raising," Shelby said, then looked down, her mood suddenly changing, "I still fear that I am going to mess her up."

"Mama?" Rachel called from the living room.

Kate snorted.

"That doesn't sound like you are messing up. Shelly, she doesn't know what it is like to have a mother just like you have no idea how to be a mother. I didn't know what it was like to be a mother when I was given custody of you. But you learn. She has no idea what to expect, and believe me, you are doing an excellent job. You are doing well, Shelly. I promise. I would tell you if you weren't and you know it."

Shelby smiled lightly. She did know that, but it was comforting to hear it all the same.

"Come on. Come visit a bit more before you go home."

Kate nodded with her own smiled, and then followed her little sister into the living room and watched as Shelby gave Rachel the pills she had collected then the juice to wash them down. Shelby then gave Rachel the cough medicine and let her swallow more juice before placing the cup on the coffee table and then picking up Rachel's jeans and folding them and placing them on the back of the couch.

Shelby then sat down and Rachel leaned against her as Shelby handed the young, ill girl the remote as she stuck a thermometer into her mouth.

Kate knew what she had known all along…what she had known when Shelby had told her about Rachel when the girl would have been nearly four months old: Shelby Corcoran was a good mother, despite her lack of confidence.

Not for the first time, Kate wished that Shelby would have told her what she was doing when she was pregnant with Rachel instead of hiding it from her for so long. For over a year, Shelby had hid the pregnancy and then the first months of Rachel's birth before she had finally shown up at Kate's door in tears, literally breaking down.

Kate could have helped, but Shelby had been afraid. It was okay now, though. Everything was going to work out for the best.

Rachel was home with her mother now, and that was all that mattered.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

A couple of weeks passed and before anyone knew it, it was the middle of February. Rachel had taken nearly an entire week to be completely fever free so that she could go back to school when she was sick, but she had been healthy since then, thankfully, as Shelby was already dreading the next time she had to take her to the doctor.

In the end, Shelby had taken the days Rachel was sick off, and then Kate had come and stayed with Rachel in the afternoons while Shelby practiced with VA for a few hours. It had worked out well enough, and thankfully Rachel had not minded. Had she, Shelby would have stayed at home with her.

Things at school were actually not going especially well for Rachel though. While Puck, Finn, and surprisingly Santana and Quinn, were supportive of her living with her mother, the rest of the group was not. They had been giving her a hard time. In fact, Mercedes had actually gone as far as to tell everyone that Rachel was now giving her mother their set lists.

Everyone might have believed it until Santana had finally stood up and called everyone idiots one afternoon when Rachel was sitting at her desk, obviously feeling defeated, and yelled at them. Santana was slowly beginning to like the girl more and more. They would talk sometimes about random things that meant nothing, but Santana felt that she was slowly beginning to know who the real Rachel Berry was.

She was most definitely not the confident diva she pretended to be. A month before, Santana would think that Rachel was being that diva right at this moment.

But Santana had seen her cry. She had watched the fear in the diva's eyes when she had thought Santana was going to hit her and Santana knew, now, that Rachel Berry was more than the 'I am better than you' bitch she pretended to be.

Santana could also tell that Rachel wanted to cry right now. Something in the girl's eyes told Santana that much.

Hell is she was going to let someone make Berry cry. To Santana, it was suddenly like someone making Brittney cry. It was the equivalent to kicking a puppy. Everyone knew that Rachel's fathers had left her, and yet Mercedes was still giving her a hard time about living with her mother.

"Jones! Shut the hell up! You don't know anything about Berry's situation or why she is living with her mother but it is obvious that she is going to be staying here. We don't even go up against Caramel at Regionals, so what the fuck is your damn problem?" Santana finally yelled out.

Everyone stopped.

Had Santana really just taken up for Rachel?

That was a new one. Santana was famous for never taking sides when Rachel and Mercedes got into it. Usually Rachel just stormed out of the room, but today the girl just sat there and ignored everything that was going on around her as best she could.

Hell, Santana was famous for randomly making fun of Rachel more than half the time.

"Don't mess with me Lopez! All I am saying is that the little turncoat is probably telling her new mommy everything we do in here."

Yes. It had been like this since Rachel had come back after being sick. Rachel had not dared skip anymore classes since then because her mother had sat her down and told her that if she skipped school again, she would be grounded and not allowed to attend glee practice for the duration of her grounding, and she would be writing lines every single day. She would also not be allowed to see Noah, who Shelby had been allowing to come over every Saturday after Rachel was finished with dance class. She had also been warned about storming out of rooms when she was angry. Her mother had warned her that that type of behavior would not be tolerated. Rachel didn't know what she would do to her if she did storm out, but Rachel really didn't want to find out. She liked not being in trouble.

So, Rachel had been going to every class and sitting through them no matter what.

Even when Mercedes or someone else started really harping on her about her mother. It was tough, but she usually just tried to ignore it.

It was getting harder though.

Rachel looked up and smiled slightly at Santana, a silent 'thank you' passing from Rachel to Santana.

Rachel then looked around for Puck. Luckily, he was just coming in, so Rachel stood up and walked towards him.

"Oh, I guess the big baby is going to storm out now so she doesn't have to listen to the truth." Mercedes said.

That was another thing. Rachel was pretty sure that Mercedes _wanted _her to storm out. She wasn't going too though.

Rachel walked over to Puck and sat on his lap, her back to Mercedes and nearly everyone else. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. She looked up at him and whispered into his ear.

"Will you please come stay the night again tonight?" Her voice was low and soft, but he could hear the hurt that was lined within the simple question.

For weeks now, Rachel had been sneaking Puck into her bedroom at night so that they could fall asleep together. They both slept much better when they were wrapped in each others' arms. His sister stayed with a friend several times a week so it was easy for Puck to get over to her house and to climb up the trellis to her bedroom after her mother went to sleep.

Puck noticed that Rachel was upset and he looked up and sent a glare at Mercedes.

Vindictive bitch, he thought. He knew that the only reason that Mercedes gave Rachel a hard time was because Mercedes was jealous of Rachel. In his eyes, Rachel was perfect. She was beautiful and talented. She just had a lot to hide from the outside world, so not many people understood her.

The girl had even taken to teasing Rachel about her absentee fathers, and that had hit too close to home for both Puck and Rachel.

"I will, babe. I will be there at the same time that I am always there. I will have to leave a bit earlier than usual though. About four. I have to make sure that I am home when my Ma gets home since it is Friday night and she usually gets home earlier on Saturday mornings."

Rachel nodded. That would be fine with her. He usually left at five, because Shelby got up at five thirty and he needed to be gone before she was up. He got to stay a bit later on weekends, but not by much.

"Thank you, Noah. I just need someone to cuddle with tonight." Rachel whispered. While she had been extremely clingy to her mother while she was sick, Rachel had not necessarily been that way since. She figured that it was okay to be clingy while she was sick and her mother wanted to take care of her, but it probably wasn't okay when she was healthy. She had noticed, though, that her mother had been giving her more random hugs lately.

She loved those random hugs.

Puck nodded and held Rachel around her waist tighter. If he could, he would spend every single minute with her. He needed Rachel just as much as Rachel needed him. He was stuck at home without parents, his little sister going from one friend to another all the time while their mother worked. It was hard. It was also hard for both him and Rachel to adjust to Rachel having a parent around. Her fathers had been even worse than Puck's mother. At least she was working. Rachel's fathers had just left her to fend for herself.

"I will be there at eleven like always." Puck said.

Rachel nodded and kissed his cheek. She was glad that she would be able to cuddle with him tonight. Mercedes and those who thought like her were really starting to wear on her. She couldn't tell her mother about it, not that she wanted to anyways. That wasn't something you were supposed to tell your mother about, was it? Rachel had been teased a lot in school from the moment she started when she was four. She was used to it. Her fathers had told her that being teased made her strong and that words never hurt anyone.

Rachel had never told them, but they were wrong. Words hurt. Words hurt a lot more than being hit or having a slushy thrown at you. Rachel knew that once words were spoken they were not like a slushy that could be cleaned off or a hit that could heal.

Once words were out there, they could never be taken back. Rachel had heard a lot of things growing up. A lot of words that still hung over her head and hurt her when she thought about them.

Her fathers had been very good at using words as weapons.

_Stupid. _

_Disappointment. _

_Unwanted. _

_Coward_.

Rachel _wished _that words didn't mean anything. Even the words that Mercedes kept sending her way hurt a bit.

Puck rubbed her back. He knew what she was thinking about. He and Rachel were very in tune with one another.

And, Puck had lived a life similar to hers in many ways.

His own father, a drunk, had been very cruel with his own words before he left Puck, his mother, and his sister. Some of them were worse than what Rachel's fathers had yelled at her, but the words didn't affect Puck like they did Rachel because underneath her false confidence sat a frightened, scared, and insecure girl.

_Bastard. _

_Little shit. _

_Loser. _

Yes, Rachel and Puck were a lot alike.

"I will be there, babe. Don't worry." Puck said, nuzzling her neck with his nose and cheek, and gently taking a single finger and wiping the lone tear that sat at the corner of Rachel's left eye. He would not give people the satisfaction of knowing that they had hurt his girl.

They would pay. When they least expected it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Later that night, Rachel and Puck were cuddled under the blankets of Rachel's bed. Rachel was glad that she had a queen sized bed at her mother's house. At her fathers' house, she and Puck had huddled together on a twin sized bed. Now, they could spread out a bit more if they wanted.

Still, though, they were cuddled together in the middle of the bed, surrounded by eight pillows. Rachel had a growing supply of pillows and blankets, and she loved it. She was able to surround herself by them when she was alone and feel safe. She had never slept as well at her fathers' home, even when Puck was there.

"I don't understand why they are being so mean about everything, Noah." Rachel whispered. He felt a tear fall down onto his bare chest.

It was okay for them to cry now. They were alone. They cried in front of one another. Rachel was the _only _person that Puck would cry in front of.

"Don't worry about it, babe. One day, one day you are going to make it big and they are going to wish that they had never messed with Rachel Berry. Your name is going to be in lights, love. They are going to be stuck here." Puck said, running his free hand down her side in comfort.

"Kurt will leave Lima." Rachel said quietly.

"Yea, maybe. But if he can't look past this shit, then he will never survive in the real world."

"What if I can't make it, Noah? What if I fail?" Rachel asked, speaking of a fear she had always had.

"You will make it." Puck said.

The problem was that Puck was afraid that he would not make it out. That eventually Rachel would leave him behind.

"I will never leave you, Noah," Rachel said, knowing exactly what was going through his mind, "Too many people have left us. The only ones who will be leaving are you and me. We will get out of this town and do something with ourselves. We will." Rachel finished with a fierce declaration. They had to get out because if one of them didn't then they would both stay. They needed one another.

"Don't hurt Mercedes, Noah." Rachel suddenly said as she ran her fingers over his chest.

Puck swallowed. Sometimes it was bothersome that they knew one another so well.

"She deserves it."

"Probably. But I don't want you getting into trouble. And I know what it is like to be bullied, Noah."

"She is bullying you now, Rachel! She doesn't even care that she is hurting you."

"But we should take care not to hurt her, no matter how big of a bitch she is being. We should at least try." Rachel said, knowing that if Mercedes kept it up much longer, that she might not be able to contain her own harsh words.

She was really trying though. Two wrongs never made a right, and she knew that. Mainly, she didn't want Puck getting into trouble.

"I love you, Rachel Barbra Berry." Puck whispered.

Rachel smiled. She knew that.

"I love you, too, Noah."

Before long, they were both in a deep sleep, the alarm set for four in the morning.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby woke up very early Saturday morning wanting something to drink. Normally, Shelby did not wake up at all until it was time for her alarm to go off, so on Saturdays she usually slept until about nine, when she would get up and start working on breakfast for herself and Rachel.

Shelby liked her sleep, which was why she rarely ever woke up.

Despite that, Shelby made her way downstairs, quietly, so as not to wake Rachel, and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of sweet tea. Once she did this, she leaned against the counter, nursing her tea, as she looked outside at the snowy covered ground.

That was when she noticed something off.

Puck's truck was parked across the street. Shelby's eyes narrowed. She walked into the living room and looked out the window, trying to get a closer look at the vehicle.

And there stood Puck. With her darling princess.

"What the hell is she doing?" Shelby asked herself out loud. Rachel was outside, in the middle of the freaking night amongst a foot of show in a long sleeved shirt, her underwear, and her snow boots.

"At least she has the damn boots on." Shelby muttered. She was just fixing to open the door when she noticed that they were walking to the side of the house. She slid on a pair of shoes that were beside the door and then opened the door carefully and quietly. She walked across the porch and then stepped off.

Just in time to see her daughter climbing halfway up the trellis that was attached to the house under the fifteen year old's bedroom window, Puck standing on the ground watching her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Shelby demanded, her hands automatically finding her hips.

The sudden sound of her mother's voice startled Rachel, and she immediately lost her grip on the trellis, falling a good six feet to the ground.

"Rachel!" Shelby yelled out, and then ran down to where her daughter had fallen. Puck kneeled on the ground beside Rachel, just as Rachel was trying to sit up.

"Shit!" Rachel hissed out. That had really hurt. She glared at her mother. She probably would not have fallen had her mother not suddenly appeared. Or, at least Puck would have caught her!

"Rachel, are you okay?" Shelby asked, looking her daughter over quickly.

"No, I am not okay! You just made me crack my ass on the frozen ground!" Rachel yelled, trying to keep the tears of pain that were threatening to fall from falling. That had hurt!

"Calm down, Rachel. Let's get you up and in the house. You are hardly dressed to be out here." Shelby said.

Shelby went to help Rachel up, but Rachel pushed her hands away.

"Noah can help me." Rachel glared at her mother.

Shelby raised her eyebrows.

"I am about to help you alright, princess. You need to lose the attitude. Don't think that you don't have some questions to answer." Shelby said, staring down at her daughter incredulously. Her princess definitely had some explaining to do.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she slowly stood up. She was going to be so sore later.

"Both of you get into the house. Rachel Barbra, if you get sick again, you are grounded." Shelby said.

Again, Rachel rolled her eyes. Whatever. Slowly, she walked into the house with Puck, her mother right beside her. Her back was wet from the snow, as were the underwear she had on. She was cold and hurt.

And her mother was threatening to ground her! That was not fair in the least!

"Rachel, you have some clothes in the laundry room, folded on top of the dryer. Go change." Shelby directed. Rachel looked up at Puck for a moment. She didn't want to leave him in here alone with her mother!

"Rachel. Now. Noah is not going in there to help you change." Shelby said. She had only wanted a drink. She had only gotten up to get a drink and now she was having to take care of this.

Rachel huffed and walked towards the laundry room.

"You act like Noah never stays the night here! Geeze! He stays here all the time!" Rachel yelled as she walked into the laundry room.

Shelby's eyes widened as she turned her glare over to Noah Puckerman.

"Just how often are you in my house without me knowing, Noah?"

Puck swallowed. This was crazy! Why had Rachel told her mother that? He knew that Rachel was used to doing whatever she wanted, hell, he was too, but there was something called parent/child etiquette, and Rachel had just broken it.

Of course, Puck realized, Rachel didn't think it was wrong that he snuck into her bedroom at night. Even at her fathers' house, he had came in through the window instead of using the front door, and her fathers had never even been there.

"Noah, I asked you a question." Shelby asked.

"Mama! Stop. I asked Noah to stay with me. We spend the night together all the time. We have for over a year. It isn't that big a deal!" Rachel said. Shelby turned to look at Rachel. The girl was already walking stiffly, and Shelby knew that she was going to have to get something, bengay, icyhot, something, to rub on the girl's obviously sore muscles, or she was not going to be able to move later.

Shelby also noted her daughter's attire. She had changed into a different pair of underwear and a tank top.

They had so much to discuss.

"Noah, I believe that it is time for you to go home. Next time, come through the front door, and do not plan on staying the night. Understand?" Shelby eyed him carefully.

"Yes ma'am. I understand."

Shelby nodded.

"Good. We will see you later. I think that it is best if you do not come over later today. You may come back next Saturday."

Shelby walked to the front door and opened it. She didn't look at Rachel because she could tell the girl was upset that Noah could not come over later.

Just as Puck was walking out the front door, Shelby grabbed his arm and looked him in the eye.

"Noah, I know that you meant no harm, and I know that you and Rachel used to spend the night together all the time, but seriously, that cannot happen here. There are rules that have to be followed, do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Puck said, looking Shelby in the eye. Truth be told, he did understand. He had known that this wouldn't be able to last forever once he found out that Rachel had moved in with her mother.

It was because Rachel's mom was like…a _real_ mom.

"Noah, please text Rachel when you get home so that we will both know that you got home safely."

That shocked Puck. She wanted to make sure that he got home safely? Really? That was a new one.

"Okay. I will."

With that, Puck was gone and the door was shut. Shelby took a deep breath and walked back to where Rachel was standing defiantly, her arms crossed over her chest.

Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but Shelby lifted her hand to stop her.

"Do not start right now, Rachel. Please go lie on the couch while I get something to rub on your back. Otherwise you probably are not going to be able to move later." Shelby said, walking past Rachel and into the kitchen to look through the medicine cabinet.

Rachel huffed loudly, but did as she was told. She was still tired, and she didn't want to listen to her mother lecture.

Shelby walked back in with a towel and some muscle relaxing cream. She hoped that the stuff worked because she now had plans for her darling daughter sometime this weekend.

"Turn over on your stomach." Shelby said softly.

Rachel sighed again, but slowly did as she was told.

"Rachel, seriously. Watch the attitude. I have still not decided whether or not to punish you for sneaking Noah into your room, obviously more than once." Shelby chided lightly.

"It's not fair. You never said that I couldn't have him spend the night." Rachel said as Shelby lifted her tank top and lightly touched around Rachel's back.

"Tell me if it hurts," Shelby said, "and if you thought I would be okay with him spending the night in your room, why not let him come in through the front door?"

"Ow." Rachel said when Shelby prodded the top of her tail bone. Shelby eased the top of the girl's underwear a bit lower so that she could rub some of the cream on her tailbone.

"Mama!" Rachel said, moving her hand back to pull her underwear back up. Shelby smacked her hand lightly out of the way.

"Stop. This is happening one way or another or you will not be able to move later. Now, do you have an excuse as to why Noah could not use the front door if you thought I would be okay with him spending the night?"

Rachel swallowed. She shouldn't have told her mother this was an all the time thing.

"I knew you wouldn't like it. You barely leave us alone when he is over on Saturdays." Rachel mumbled.

She winced when she felt her mother begin rubbing the cream in on her back and tailbone.

"It can't happen again, Rachel." Shelby said softly. She knew that her daughter was used to doing what she wanted, and despite Rachel knowing by instinct that her mother would not be happy with Puck staying over, Shelby had never verbally told her so.

So, Shelby would give her this one.

"I sleep better when he is beside me." Rachel tried.

"No. He is not to spend the night here again. Rachel, I am serious. Right now, I do not think a major punishment is necessary. If you do it again, you will be one sorry girl." Shelby threatened. Rachel sighed again.

It wasn't fair! Her mother was just being mean!

"I want him here though." Rachel tried again as she flinched when Shelby gently rubbed the cream in over her tailbone. Rachel was pretty sure that the stuff was not going to alleviate all the pain she would be feeling later.

"I am sorry, Rachel. I am the mom and what I say goes."

"Why?" Rachel whined.

"Because I said so." Shelby stated, shocked that those words left her mouth. She had always told herself that she would never use that as an explanation because it had to be one of the most annoying phrases ever.

But, now that Shelby was a mother, she realized that sometimes it was the only phrase that worked.

"Fine. Am I in trouble?"

Shelby fixed the top of Rachel's underwear and then scooted so that she could look Rachel in the eye.

"Not so much as you will be if this happens again. However, sometime this weekend, you will be helping Uncle Parker outside. The trellis will be coming off the side of the house."

Rachel's eyes widened.

"What if there is a fire?" Rachel said quickly. Surely that would work!

Shelby laughed.

"Nice try, princess. The trellis is coming off this weekend and the next time we have a guest, I better know about it. Now, come on. You need some more sleep."

Shelby helped Rachel up and then the two went upstairs, Shelby tucking the girl in under her many blankets.

"If you have trouble sleeping in the future, Rachel, my door is always opened." Shelby told her lightly.

This caused Rachel to smile.

"Thank you." Rachel said softly, her eyes already growing heavy.

Shelby gently rubbed Rachel's back and then went back to her own room.

She made sure to leave the door wide open, and would continue to do so from that moment on.

* * *

**AN: So, did Shelby handle that situation correctly? What about Rachel? Any other thoughts or comments?**


	15. Ice Cold

**Chapter Fifteen: Ice Cold**

Rachel was not happy to be bundled up outside in the cold attempting to help her uncle remove the trellis from the side of the house.

Her mother had definitely been serious about it being removed, and Rachel knew that her mother had come in the night before several times to check on her, making sure that Puck didn't sneak in one last time.

Rachel rolled her eyes. Like she was dumb enough to have him come over the night after she got caught sneaking him out of the house! As if!

"Uncle Parker, are you sure that you can't just tell Mama that the trellis is stuck to the side of the house and there is no way to get it down?" Rachel tried as she stared up at her uncle who was on a ladder against the house.

She hadn't really spent a lot of time with her uncle, but she could tell that he had a sense of humor just by the little bit she had been around him.

Parker burst out laughing as he climbed down the ladder and then stood in front of Rachel. He reached up and pulled her hat down around her ears because she had it pulled up earlier complaining that her ears were hot, and then put his hands on his knees to lean over so that he would be eye level with the teen.

"Can I tell you a secret, Rachel?" he asked seriously.

The girl nodded.

"I would…but not only do I love you too much to leave that trellis up so that your boyfriend can climb up there, I am also a bit afraid of my wife and your mom. Have you seen them when they are angry, Rach? They are quite scary!" Parker said with amusement dancing in his eyes.

Rachel looked into his eyes for a moment. Once again, confusion swept over her very being.

"You love me? Why?" Rachel asked, her brow crinkled in confusion.

Parker stared at her for a moment. He had known that Rachel had a hard time understanding love. His wife and Shelby had both told him that much. How did you explain _why _you loved someone? Especially to a girl like Rachel who had no idea what the word even meant?

"Because, Rach, what's not to love? You are my niece, my sister-in-law's little girl. You are part of my family and there really doesn't have to be any other reason. It is just the truth." He said with a shrug as he stood up and then patted her hat covered head.

Rachel stared at him a few moments, and then smiled mischievously, trying to forget about the sudden confusion that she felt.

"So, you are afraid of Mama and Aunt Weazy?"

Parker burst out laughing again, this time a full belly laugh that shook his entire body.

He knew that Rachel was still trying to understand what he had just told her, but that she didn't want to worry about it in that moment. He let it pass and just let the laughter roll from his body.

"Does Aunt Kate know that you are calling her Aunt Weazy?" Parker asked slyly.

Rachel full out grinned at that.

"Not exactly. I think that it fits quite nicely. I called her that a couple weeks ago when I found out that that was what Mama used to call her when she was little, she still does sometimes, but I was thinking about calling her that all the time. What do you think?"

Parker put his arm over her shoulders and they walked back over to the trellis covered wall.

"I think you have guts, kid. You are braver than I am. Have at it."

Rachel grinned. This was going to be great.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

By lunch time, Rachel was starting to get sore again. Her body was still not completely healed from the tumble she had taken off the trellis, add to that the cold outside, and she was ready to be finished.

She really hated being outside, and she had told her mother as much. Shelby had said that, despite her hatred for all things outdoors, she would be helping her uncle remove the trellis. Plus, every time that she took a break, it was like her mother just knew and the woman was out there waiting to tell her to get back to work. She'd barely been able to even use the bathroom without her mom telling her that she needed to hurry and go help her uncle.

They were almost completely finished though, and then all they would have to do would be to load it up in the back of Uncle Parker's truck.

They stopped for lunch though, and Kate and the girls had arrived not long before to eat the meal with them.

Rachel walked into the kitchen and looked at the table. It was full of food, all things that were made so she could eat them. There was some baked chicken, mashed potatoes, dairy free macaroni and cheese, gravy, and peas. Rachel hated peas though, so she would bypass those and seriously hope that her mother didn't pile any on her plate to 'try' like she sometimes did with vegetables.

Rachel had slowly been attempting to eat meat over the last few weeks as well. She liked chicken, as long as it was white meat, but it was not her favorite. Shelby had made her fried chicken one day night, and she had spent the rest of the night sick. Shelby had said that it was probably because Rachel was not used to the greasiness of fried chicken, and that they would stay away from fried food.

Regardless, Rachel had been embarrassed by how sick that measly piece of fried chicken had made her. She made her mother swear to never cook it again. It had almost turned her completely off chicken all together.

Shelby had promised.

Baked chicken was different though, and she didn't mind it. She detested hamburger meat, and had taken one bite of it and spit it out. Shelby had lightly chastised her for spitting her food back onto her plate, but Rachel had known the woman had been slightly amused, despite the gagging that Rachel had done trying to get the retched taste out of her mouth.

Rachel was not eating anything that she didn't like, and a week later she spit out sausage as well. Shelby had started placing paper napkins by her plate so that she could spit out her food that way instead of directly back onto her plate.

Shelby had made steak one night, and Rachel had loved it. She had not been able to eat much of it, but she had loved it. It had upset her stomach a little bit later that night, but she had still been adamant that her mother cook it for her again as soon as possible. Her mother had told her that she probably ate just a bit too much of it, and maybe next time she needed to eat a little less. They were only trying meat twice a week, to give Rachel's body time to adjust, so that was all that they had tried so far.

Everyone sat around the table, Rachel sitting beside her mother and her little cousin Aria and across from Melody. It was quiet at first. Food was being passed around and slowly eaten.

Rachel took a small bite of the chicken. Despite having eaten it before, she was still wary of all things meat related and always started out with a bite just big enough to taste.

She chewed on it for a few seconds before she promptly spit the chicken back on her plate.

Aria burst into laughter.

"Gross, Wachel!"

"Rachel! Napkin! What was wrong with it?" Shelby asked, giving her daughter a stern look. They had talked about her spitting food back onto her plate. That was when Shelby noticed that Rachel didn't have a napkin beside her plate because she had forgot to put one beside Rachel's plate.

Rachel wrinkled her nose.

"What is on that? It is vile!" Rachel said, staring at the rest of the offending piece of chicken.

"I thought you said you liked baked chicken, Rachel." Kate said. They had talked about it on the way home from school one day.

"Yea, but whatever is on that is volatile." Rachel said, taking a long drink to try and get the taste out of her mouth.

Shelby shook her head.

"I marinated it in Italian dressing. I won't be doing that again, obviously." Shelby said.

"I think it is really good, Aunt Well." Melody said, smiling up at her aunt and taking a bite of the chicken.

Rachel instantly narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. Melody looked over at her and smirked.

"So, Rachel, how did you end up falling off the trellis?" Melody snickered.

"Melody. Enough." Kate said instantly. She wasn't sure how her daughter even knew about that, but she assumed it was because the girl had overheard her parents discussing it.

"I don't know, why don't we go outside and find out if you can do any better." Rachel snapped out.

Shelby rolled her eyes. Seriously? It was like watching two animals settle which was more dominant. Did her sister have to put up with this in the car every day?

"Okay, girls, enough bickering. Eat up."

The girls did as they were told, and before long, Rachel was bundling back up and heading back outside, waiting on her uncle to come back out. She wanted to get this over with. She was tired of being outside. She hated outside.

To her surprise, Melody came out not long after and walked over to her, smirking.

"I overheard Mom tell Daddy that you were climbing back into your room and fell off the trellis. Not very coordinated, are you?"

"I am so sure that you can do better." Rachel said, avoiding the fact that her mother's voice had actually just startled her into falling to the ground.

"I bet I can." Melody said, glaring at her cousin.

"Fine, then let's go see. There is another trellis on the other side of the house." Rachel said, and headed over the side of the house where her mother's bedroom window sat.

"Climb it if you think you can." Rachel said, pointing towards the trellis against the house.

"It isn't even all that high." Melody said, though she looked up at the window cautiously as she did so.

"Climb it then."

"I don't see you climbing it."

"Fine. We will climb it together." Rachel said, and pushed Melody up to the trellis.

They were both taking their first tentative steps, Rachel because she didn't want to fall off of anything again, and Melody because she was not fond of heights, when both girls felt a strong hand take a hold of their upper arms.

"I don't think so, girls. You can both come and help pick up the trellis that is on the other side of the house." Parker said as the girls looked up at him.

He was amused when both girls looked a bit relieved.

He shook his head and guided them over to the other side of the house. Sometimes he did not understand teenagers and preteens. Or girls. Even Aria baffled him sometimes and she was only three.

Fifteen minutes later, Melody and Rachel were arguing. Parker was doing most of the work while the two girls seemed to be having a battle of wills.

"Seriously, that is all you can carry?" Rachel asked Melody as she toted several pieces of the wood to the back of the truck.

"Whatever! I am eleven! Like actually eleven. I don't just look eleven like you do."

Rachel rolled her eyes. The brat had had a birthday not long before, and she was constantly reminding people that she was eleven now. So what if she was eleven and just as tall as Rachel?

"Oh that was such a good comeback. Little brat." Rachel muttered.

"Girls, stop arguing or we are never going to be finished with this." Parker said. He noticed his wife, Shelby, and Aria coming out of the house, all of them dressed warmly.

"I am not a brat! Daddy, tell her that I am not a brat!"

"You are acting like a brat!" Rachel said, throwing down a piece of wood.

"Weazy! Come get your niece and daughter!" Parker yelled, laughing as a snowball suddenly whizzed past his head.

Rachel was just about to say something else to Melody when a snowball hit both her and Melody. Rachel looked up.

"Aunt Weazy! That was completely uncal— " another snowball hit Rachel, this time in the face.

Soon, the war was on. Rachel and Melody looked at one another, each of them covered in snow, and smiled at one another.

Rachel hurried up and bent down, picking up snow, and went to throw the snowball in her hands at Melody, who ducked and laughed.

The snowball landed right into the face of Kate.

Rachel froze, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

Melody froze beside Rachel and started laughing at her mother. Kate, who had two snowballs in her hands, burst into laughter and lobbed the snowballs at both Rachel and Melody, hitting them again.

Rachel and Melody looked at one another for a moment, their earlier disagreements long forgotten.

"Let's get Aunt Weazy and Mama." Rachel whispered.

Melody laughed and nodded, dropping the wood she had in her hands, and then picked up snow.

Soon, the yard was full of flying snowballs and laughter. Melody and Rachel both attacked Kate, but what they had not planned on was Shelby coming up behind them. Aria was hiding behind her Daddy, giggling at the scene in front of her.

"Aunt Weazy!" Rachel sang out, laughing when her aunt turned and ran towards her. Rachel laughed as she ran into Melody, who then ran into Shelby and all of them fell into a heap on the ground.

Through her laughter, Rachel felt the pain of falling back down on her tailbone.

"Ow." Rachel said, but still laughed.

"Okay, girls. I think that is enough." Shelby said, laughing. She was too old for this, but she loved it anyways. It wasn't often that she got to play outside with her daughter and nieces. As much as she wanted to continue playing though, despite her age, she knew that Rachel was already going to be sore again from her fall last night.

"How about we go in and make some hot cocoa and tea." Shelby said, helping Rachel, who was still smiling, up from the ground.

"Yea! Aunt Wellby, I want extra marshmellows!"

Shelby laughed and nodded as she put her arm over Rachel's shoulders and the six of them all went back into the house.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Later that night, after everyone was gone and supper had been eaten, Rachel and Shelby were sitting in the living room watching something on television. Rachel had been fidgeting all night long, and Shelby finally paused the television and looked at the girl.

"Rachel, what is wrong? You have not been able to sit still since we began watching this movie."

Rachel looked over at her, a light blush crossing her cheeks.

"When we fell while throwing snowball, it made my back hurt again. You think…maybe…could you put some more of that stuff you used last night on my back?" Rachel asked softly. She had not wanted to ask at all, but her back and tailbone were really starting to hurt.

"Oh, honey, I wish you would have told me sooner. Of course I will. Why don't you take a hot bath first and soak. It will help some as well, and then when you are finished I will come in your room and rub some muscle relaxer on your back for you."

"Okay. Will you read to me some tonight?" Rachel asked quietly, almost as if she feared rejection. Shelby didn't read to her every night, but if Rachel asked her too, she did. They would sit in Rachel's room and Shelby would read a couple chapters of Harry Potter to the girl.

She had gone to the bookstore, though Rachel did not know it, and had purchased the rest of the Harry Potter books. She was going to pull the second one out when they were finished reading the first one. It would be a surprise, one that Shelby was really excited about.

"Of course. Go take a bath and yell for me when you are ready for me to come up."

"Okay. Thank you, Mama." Rachel said, slowly getting up. Shelby wished that she would have noticed how stiff Rachel was earlier.

An hour later, Rachel was lying on her stomach, Shelby had already rubbed in the muscle relaxing cream and had made Rachel take some Tylenol. Shelby wanted to make sure that she didn't hurt too much the next day since she was going to have to be in school all day. She would give her some more pain relievers in the morning before they left the house.

"Thanks, Mama." Rachel said, sleepily. Shelby watched Rachel's hand slipped under her pillows and she drug her rabbit out from under them and then under the blankets to put him against her stomach.

Shelby smiled. It was odd just how natural all of this was becoming. How normal.

Shelby loved it.

"_As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy grey and the lake like chilled steel..._"

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was ready for school to be over. She used to love school, but that was before. Before she had a mother. Before she had someone at home with her at night. Before she had someone who took care of her. She did miss Puck, but she still got to see him and hang out with him because her mother made sure that she did. Every Saturday unless, like this past Saturday, she got into trouble for something, Puck spent the day with her at her house. She had still not been able to talk her mother into letting her go somewhere with Puck, but she knew that eventually she would be able to break her mother down. It was a work in progress.

She hated school mostly, though, because of Mercedes and her followers. Those few people who were still really angry about her living with her mother. As if she had a choice; not that she would change it if she did. She loved living with her mother.

They didn't understand, and she didn't care, but their words hurt.

Why couldn't people realize that words hurt? That words had power?

The thing was, though, that Rachel was pretty sure that Mercedes did know how much her words hurt. They were like a knife slicing through her feelings. Every single one of them.

It was how her fathers had always gotten her down too; though Rachel was loathe to admit it, even to herself.

"Where's mommy, ManHands?"

Rachel took a deep breath. They never got tired of the name calling.

"Hey, Berry! I am talking to you!" Mercedes shouted.

Rachel walked down the hallway.

"Your dear old mommy is going to leave you one day too. Did you know that, ManHands? Did you know that your mother is going to get up one morning and realize that she doesn't love you either? That she can't stand you just like your fathers couldn't stand you?" Mercedes said out loud.

Rachel did turn around with that.

Only to be welcomed by a cold downpour of cherry red ice and laughter.

Rachel calmly took a breath, turned around, and walked away.

She would not let them see her cry.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Kate arrived at McKinley high about thirty minutes earlier than she normally did, so she was surprised when she noticed Rachel sitting on the sidewalk.

She was even more surprised when Rachel walked to her car covered in some red substance that looked to be very sticky if her niece's hair was anything to go by.

Rachel opened the front passenger seat and pulled off her jacket so that she didn't get her aunt's car seat dirty, and put it on the back of the seat so she could lean against it. She was tight lipped and didn't dare look at her aunt or her cousins in the back seat.

"Rachel, what is all over you?"

Rachel didn't look over at her as she buckled her seatbelt.

"I don't want to talk about it." Rachel mumbled. She didn't want to talk at all. If she talked, she was going to cry, and she did not want to cry. She made it a point not to cry in front of people. She had only cried in front of Puck, her mother, and one time in front of Santana. Crying made you look weak, and she refused to look weak in this moment.

Kate watched Rachel for several moments, but chose not to say anything. She could tell that the teen was upset, and she didn't want to push her right now. They would go home and Rachel could shower. Shelby didn't like Rachel being home too early by herself, so Kate would just let her shower at her home. She would find something somewhere for the tiny girl to wear.

The drive home was silent. Even Aria and Melody, who usually talked quite a bit on the way home, were silent. They, especially Melody, could see how upset Rachel was.

Instead of going straight to Rachel's home, Kate pulled into her own driveway. Rachel turned and looked at her with sad, brown eyes.

"We are early. Your mom won't be home for over an hour. Besides, we are closer to here, and I want you to go shower so that you can get that stuff off of you. I will make dinner and call your mom so that she can come here and we can all eat dinner together." Kate said.

Rachel really wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up in a ball on her bed and cry without anyone bothering her.

"Okay, Aunt Weazy." Rachel said softly, not in the joking manner she usually used when she called Kate 'Aunt Weazy'. Kate was slowly becoming used to the annoying name. In fact, it was quite endearing coming from her niece.

"Come on." Kate said, climbing out of the car. Melody was already helping Aria out of the car and Rachel soon followed the trio into the house.

"Rachel, you can go use Aria and Melody's bathroom. There are towels and wash rags in the cabinet. There is Dove shampoo, conditioner, and soap in that bathroom. You can use that, can't you?" Kate asked. She knew the girl was allergic to some soaps and lotions, but she could not remember for the life of her what they were.

Rachel nodded. That was what her mother bought her at home to use as well.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything." Kate said.

Before anyone could say anything else, Melody came and took Rachel's hand.

"Come on, I have some clothes you can wear."

Rachel let Melody pull her towards her room without a word.

Kate watched the two retreating forms with pride. She was proud of Melody offering to help Rachel out without prompting.

"What the hell was all over her?" Parker asked as he walked into the kitchen, loosening the tie that was around his neck.

"I have no idea. She wouldn't tell me. Said she didn't want to talk about it. I will call Shelby in a bit and tell her so that she can come here and eat dinner and get Rachel. Maybe Rachel will tell her what happened." Kate said. Parker nodded as he hugged his wife.

Upstairs, Rachel was standing in Melody's room. It was the room of a girl who was stuck in between worlds. She had the toys of a child, but the posters of a teenager. She had the dolls, but at the same time she had the cds. It reminded Rachel that her little cousin was caught in between two worlds right now, much like Rachel was in a way. Only, Melody's two worlds were something that all kids went through.

Only, that didn't make it any easier.

"I have some new panties that you can have. I haven't worn them. Mom bought them not long ago. I have some pajama pants that are a bit big on me, and a tank top. I don't have a bra though." Melody said quietly.

Rachel looked down at her nearly nonexistent chest. Honestly she didn't need a bra for a few hours.

"I appreciate it, Mel. I don't need a bra. I can go without. My mom will be here soon anyways." Rachel told her.

"You wanna talk about it, Rach?" Melody asked. She knew that she was younger than her cousin, but it didn't mean that she couldn't understand whatever it was that was going on.

"Not really, Mel. It was just a really bad day at school. Thanks though. I am going to go shower." Rachel said and walked out of the room.

Melody merely nodded. She understood bad days. Though, her bad days had never looked like Rachel's in the end.

Rachel went into the bathroom and started the shower. She waited until the water got hot and then shed her clothes and climbed in.

Then, and only then, did she fall to her knees and begin to cry, her tears, somehow hotter than the water that rained down around her, rolled down her cheeks in continuous rivers of sorrow for everything that she did not understand in her life.

One question continued to haunt her though. Later that night, after refusing to talk to her mother about what happened at school despite Shelby asking her several times and going to bed an hour earlier than usual, she would write the question in her diary to her mother.

_Dear Mama, What if it is true? What if you decide you do not want me like they did?_

The words were smeared because of the tears that flowed as she wrote the question. A question brought about from a girl at school who hated her, and had no reason to. Just like Rachel's fathers.

Rachel was slept fitfully that night, her insecurities swimming through her head all night long in the form of bad dreams and deep thoughts.

* * *

**AN: Thoughts? Comments? **


	16. Perfect Storm Out, The Sequel

**Chapter Sixteen: Perfect Storm Out, The Sequel**

Rachel's week was not getting any better. In fact, by Friday, she got up in a bad mood, her bad mood didn't just accumulate during the day like it had during the past couple of days. Kate had told Shelby that both Melody and Rachel had been snapping at one another in the car since Tuesday, and neither Kate nor Shelby could figure out why. It was like they had both taken some kind of adolescent moodiness drug or something, and neither of the girls would tell them what was wrong.

Shelby had been trying to get Rachel to talk to her all week about what had happened at school on Monday, as had Kate, but nothing either of them said or did made Rachel want to talk about what happened at school on Monday or why she was in such a bad, defiant mood.

All they both knew was that the girl was definitely in a mood, and her attitude had been very close to getting her into serious trouble. Even as Rachel sat down at breakfast on Friday morning, Shelby had a bad feeling about the day.

"I don't want to eat this." Rachel said, eyeing the food in front of her carefully. Shelby had simply cut up fruit, added a small amount of sugar to it, and then had placed it in a bowl in front of her daughter with a glass of soy milk. She did this at least once a week, especially if she was running behind, and usually Rachel ate all of it.

"What do you want then?" Shelby asked. Rachel normally ate what she put in front of her because Shelby never made something she didn't like twice. Once Shelby knew that Rachel didn't like it, it was no longer fixed in her kitchen. Shelby wanted Rachel to eat things she liked. Rachel wasn't one to eat things she didn't like anyways.

"I want something else." Rachel said, a tad bit harshly.

"Like what, Rachel?" Her daughter did realize that she could not read her mind, right?

"I don't know. I just don't want this." Rachel said, pushing the bowl away from her, almost tipping the bowl over.

"Rachel. We have to leave in fifteen minutes. If you want something else that I can easily fix, tell me. Otherwise, princess, you are going to have to deal with what you have or wait until lunch." Shelby told her. Shelby hadn't even packed Rachel's lunch yet, another thing she did every morning.

Rachel snapped her head up and glared at her mother.

"That is just what you would like, isn't it?" Rachel said, standing up and pushing her chair back into place rather roughly, hitting the wall behind her.

"I am going to get my bag. I am not hungry." Rachel said as she walked out of the room and then up the stairs.

Shelby was left baffled. She had no idea what was going on with Rachel, but one thing was for certain, they were going to talk about it that night when they both got home. If Rachel was still in the mood she was in right now later that night, Shelby very seriously contemplated not letting Puck come over the next day after Rachel got home from dance. Shelby knew that she could not reward defiance.

However, maybe the girl would willingly talk to her that night.

On the way over to Kate's, Rachel was silent, but Shelby could tell that she was not her normal self. Shelby sighed as she pulled into the driveway.

"Here, Rachel." Shelby said, handing the girl a small bowl that held her fruit, a lid on top of it. She did not want Rachel to go hungry.

"I don't want it."

"Take it anyways. In case you get hungry. You have an hour before you get to school, you may need it."

"God. Fine." Rachel said, snatching the bowl from her mother. Shelby's eyebrows rose and she looked at her daughter.

"Rachel." Shelby said, stopping her daughter from slamming the door shut. Rachel looked up at her and stared at her mother.

"What?" She finally snapped.

"Princess, I realize that something is going on in that pretty little head of yours, but I am warning you now, do not take your bad mood to school and get into trouble. You and I are going to talk tonight, but I expect you to behave at school."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at her.

"Fine."

Then she slammed the door. Shelby sighed. She hoped that Rachel had a good day at school.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel skipped first period. She didn't feel up to sitting through a class where Mercedes sat two seats behind her. She just couldn't do it one more day this week. So, instead, she texted Puck and the two of them went up into the scaffolding to make out for a while.

Puck knew that there was something majorly wrong with Rachel, but for once he wasn't sure what it was. Surely all of this could not be stemming from that bitch Jones, could it?

Puck pushed her back a bit and looked into her eyes. He had not seen her look this sad since before she moved in with her mother.

"Talk to me, Rach." He whispered. He knew that she was going to cry. He probably knew it before she did.

He was proved correct when the first tear slid down her face.

"I can't get Mercedes words out of my head, Noah. I can't erase them. I dream about them at night. It is like they follow me around, Noah."

Puck wrapped his arms around her.

"What words, Rachel?"

"She told me that my mom was going to figure out that she didn't love me just like my fathers did. And I can't erase it because the thought was already there before then. Noah, what if she leaves me? I have nowhere else to go." Rachel cried.

"Your mom isn't going to leave you, Rachel. Mercedes is a dumb, jealous bitch. She doesn't know what she is talking about. When did she tell you this?" Puck asked her. He felt her stiffen.

"Rach?" He urged.

Rachel swallowed and sobbed.

"She said it Monday. She slushied me afterwards. I didn't want you to know; that is why I texted you and told you Aunt Weazy was going to pick me up early." Rachel sobbed.

Puck rubbed her back.

"Don't worry about it, Rach. Everything is going to be okay. Your mom loves you." Puck said soothingly.

But, he knew that him telling her that was not the same as understanding it. Love was a fickle thing, and no one knew that as well as he and Rachel did.

"I hope she really does, Noah. I really do." Rachel whispered.

They skipped two more classes because they fell asleep in the scaffolding. Rachel hadn't slept that well all week. It was the first time that Mercedes words didn't play in her dreams since Monday.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The beginning of glee was torture. Rachel, for the first time that day, realized that if her mom found out she skipped most of her morning classes she was going to be in a lot of trouble. She had been warned not to skip classes. It was on her list of rules. But, Rachel had needed the space away from everyone else. So what if she was grounded…only, that might mean that she didn't get to see Puck Saturday.

Then was the moment that Mercedes, Kurt, and Artie all sat within a seat from her. Puck was not in there yet, though Santana was. They talked, but Rachel was not sure if she was considered Santana's friend yet or not. Quinn and Brittney were also there.

But, still, Rachel knew that she was alone, a kitten in a lion's den, and she was fair game.

"Don't even think about asking to sing the solo for Regionals, ManHands. Not if you don't want daily slushie facials." Mercedes warned.

Rachel might have hated Mercedes' hurtful words that were all too often thrown at her nowadays, but she was not afraid of Mercedes.

Plus, that solo was hers. She would fight for that solo. Mercedes didn't have the range necessary to perform a winning solo piece at Regionals and especially not at Nationals.

"As if, Mercedes. Everyone knows that if we want to win that there is no way in hell you can have the solo." Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha! You go ahead and think that and see what happens when you start begging for the solo."

"I don't beg. I have no need of begging. My voice says it all."

"Is that what mommy tells you? Does mommy tell you that you are special and that your voice is better than anyone else's? Or are you afraid and that is why you ran Sunshine off to join your mother's show choir instead of her staying here?" Mercedes hissed.

Rachel stood up and turned around and glared at the girl.

"You have no idea what the hell you are talking about!" Rachel hissed back.

"Or has mommy already decided to let you in on the fact that she doesn't love you?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed and she glared at Mercedes. She bowed up, standing as tall as possible, and looked at the girl in front of her and then the two boys at her sides.

"Fuck all three of you." Rachel said, then turning and walking towards the door, passing Mr. Shuester, who had been listening to the conversation but saying nothing. He sighed. He had known that her storm outs would probably come back sooner or later, though, it had been nearly two months.

Over on the other side of the room, Santana stood up and walked towards the door. She turned to Mercedes first and glared at her.

"You will pay for what you just did." Then she, too, turned to leave the room, leaving several people with their mouths wide open. Santana Lopez had just taken up for Berry.

She stopped in front of Mr. Shuester and stared at him for a moment.

"You aren't supposed to let this happen in here. You are no better than they are."

Santana then walked out of the choir room and then headed outside. She knew that Rachel usually went out there to wait on her aunt, though it was a bit early for her aunt to be there.

She was proved correct, though, when she walked out of the building and Rachel was sitting on the sidewalk, shivering slightly in the cold.

Santana, thankfully in her warm ups, sat down beside Rachel. The two were silent for a few moments before Santana finally spoke up.

"Don't believe anything she says, Rachel. Your life is none of her business." Santana said softly.

Rachel sniffed.

"She is right though. My fathers didn't want me. Who knows how long my mom will stay around. Maybe I am unlovable."

"Rach, you know that that is not true."

"I don't know what is true anymore. My life is so effed up." Rachel said, pulling her gloves out of her pocket and slipping them on.

"Puck loves you."

Rachel nodded. She knew that.

"I know. I love him too. But is having a loving boyfriend always going to be enough? Doesn't everyone deserve to have a loving parent too?"

Santana was silent. In truth, she didn't know how to answer the girl. She had two very loving parents at home.

But, she knew that Quinn, who was her best friend, had two parents at home who were not always so loving. Rachel had also apparently grown up with two fathers, neither of whom had loved her. But now, she had her mother. Santana knew, even in just the one time that she had met Ms. Corcoran, that the woman loved Rachel.

She knew it in the change in Rachel's attitude. She knew it in the fact that for the first time in forever, Rachel had clothes that fit her well. She could just see it.

But, Mercedes Jones' words had done a number on Rachel Berry's self worth. In one week, Mercedes Jones had cracked Rachel's shell, a shell that had only just started to heal a little.

In fact, it was possible that it had erased it all together.

Santana vowed right then and there that she would make Mercedes pay. Or, she would help Puck make her pay.

Tentatively, Santana put her arm around Rachel's and gave her a side hug. Santana Lopez did not normally do hugs.

But, Berry needed a damn hug, and she was going to give her one.

"I think we are friends now, Berry." Santana said awkwardly.

Rachel laughed lightly through the few tears that had escaped her eyes. She watched as her aunt pulled into the school, unusually early again.

"I think that I would like that, Santana." Rachel whispered.

Santana nodded and then dropped her arm so that Rachel could stand up.

"I will see you later, Santana."

Santana offered the girl a smile.

"See you later, Rachel."

Then Rachel climbed into the car. She had a friend.

The thought made her smile, but she was still upset. She wanted to go home and crawl into her bed. Her bed was such a safe place.

Rachel leaned back in her seat. She heard her aunt tell her hello, but she didn't say anything. Instead she fell into an uneasy sleep as her aunt drove towards their homes.

But, at least Rachel had a friend now.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was surprised when she was shaken gently awake in the car. She was surprised because it was her mother who had awakened her.

"What are you doing home?" Rachel asked groggily. She looked over at her aunt as she climbed out of the car. It was too early for both of them to be home.

"You and I need to have a talk," Shelby started sternly, "I got an interesting phone call earlier. We will talk about it in the house."

That caught Rachel's attention and brought her out of her sleep hazed thoughts.

Rachel looked up at her mother. Shelby looked…not particularly happy.

Rachel climbed out of the car and looked up at her mother, trying to gage her mood. She had already had a bad day and it didn't sound like it was going to get better.

"Mama, what…"

"Rachel, let's get into the house and out of the cold."

Rachel's defenses were suddenly up. Her mother was not supposed to be home. And what was this about a phone call? Why had Aunt Weazy come and picked her up early?

"No." Rachel said, stepping away from her mother as her aunt backed out of the driveway.

Shelby sighed. Why couldn't Rachel follow that one instruction?

"Rachel, we are not going to talk about your disobedience today in the middle of the driveway." Shelby said.

Rachel looked up at her, an angry glare of her own.

"I don't want to talk at all!" Rachel yelled at her mother. She stormed away from her mother and made her way into the house. She tried to slam the front door shut, but Shelby caught it and then shut it behind her.

Rachel threw her backpack on the floor, followed closely by her jacket, hat, gloves, and then her boots. All of it was in a pile in the middle of the hallway. Shelby shook her head exasperatedly.

Rachel took a step up the stairs and was stopped when Shelby grabbed her arm.

"I want to talk to you in the living room." Shelby said.

"No. I don't want to talk to you! I am going to my room!" Rachel said, struggling against her mother's hold.

"Rachel, I said that we are going to talk, so that is what we are going to do! And, after we are finished talking, you can text Noah before you hand your phone over to me and tell him that he cannot come tomorrow! You are well aware of the rules in place, Rachel, yet for some reason today, after I told you not to let your bad mood get you into trouble at school, you still managed to skip your morning classes and then preceded to storm out of glee."

"You don't know what the hell happened today! How do you even know that? Let me go! I want to go to my room!" Rachel screamed, still struggling to get away from her mother.

Shelby was not letting her go though. They were going to have this conversation whether the princess wanted to have it or not.

"Mr. Shuester called me and told me that you stormed out of glee and then Miss Pillsbury called me and told me you were not in your morning classes, Rachel."

Rachel stopped struggling in that moment and stared at her mother. Her anger came back twofold, and she bowed up against her mother, though her mother's hand never left her upper arm.

"Of course he did! Did he happen to mention that Mercedes Jones was being mean to me? That she was saying things that hurt me? That she was saying things about you? That she said you were going to leave me like my fathers did! Did he tell that? Did he tell you that I have been putting up with her shit since I went back to school after I was sick? Did he? Did he tell you that he stands there and lets it happen? That he never tells her to stop? That I have sat in there and not stormed out even though she tells me that I am not loved constantly! Do you think that I need to have that thrown back in my face all the time? I live it! I know! I know! I know that I am hard to love! I don't have to have her throw that in my fucking face every single day while he stands there and lets her say whatever the hell she wants!" Rachel screamed through her tears and then began to struggle against her mother again.

"Let me go! Fuck! Let me go!" Rachel screamed through the downpour of tears that were trailing down her cheeks. She was struggling against her mother as hard as she could.

Shelby would have none of it though. She held fast to Rachel and then pulled her into her arms, into a hug that Rachel fought against.

"I know that you are upset. You have been all week. But you have to calm down."

Rachel pushed against her mother with her hands, but Shelby didn't let her go though. She held her against her chest and let her struggle.

"I love you, Rachel. I love you so much. Stop fighting me right now, Rachel, so we can talk. I want you to talk to me."

"You already said that Noah can't come over tomorrow and that you are taking my phone, so you have already decided my punishment before you even listened to my side of the story." Rachel cried into her mother's chest even though she continued to try and push herself away from her mother.

"Rachel, stop. Now." Shelby said gently yet sternly. They were not going to accomplish anything if Rachel continued fighting her and refused to listen.

But, Rachel did stop. She stopped struggling and just stood, letting her arms fall to her sides limply. Shelby was able to move them both over to the stairs and sit down, Rachel right beside her. Rachel continued to cry, her head placed in Shelby's lap. Shelby continued to rub Rachel's back, her arms wrapped around her daughter.

Shelby's thoughts went to Will Shuester. She was not happy that the man called her and didn't tell her the entire story about what had been going on at school. She was not happy about that at all.

"I think that Mr. Shuester and I need to have a meeting. I do not want you being verbally attacked during glee. It is unacceptable." Shelby said, rubbing Rachel's back again.

"No. That will make it worse. He isn't going to do anything, and then it will be worse. I can handle her words." Rachel sobbed.

Shelby shook her head.

"Rachel, you aren't handling her words at all if this week is anything to go by." Shelby said gently, "I wish you would have told me."

"I don't want to talk about it." Rachel said. She couldn't talk about it. She had already said too much.

She felt stupid. Pathetic.

"I love you, Rachel." Shelby said again. She would tell her daughter that all night if she had too. Every day. Every minute.

"Please don't have a meeting. I will not skip class anymore. I won't storm out. Please."

Shelby sighed.

"Okay, Rachel. But if this happens again…"

Rachel nodded. She understood.

"Can Noah still come over tomorrow after we get back from dance and lunch?"

"I will think about it, Rach. I think there is a lot you and I need to talk about. I will let you know tomorrow."

Deep down, Shelby was not sure that she was making the right choice in not calling Will Shuester, but she would give Rachel this one. Next time she would not. She hoped that there was not a next time.

* * *

**AN: So, thoughts? Do you think that Shelby is making the right choice by not having a meeting with Will? Thoughts on Santana? Mercedes?**


	17. Quinn's Journey

**Chapter Seventeen: Quinn's Journey**

Shelby was waiting outside the dance studio in Lima the next day at noon. She knew Rachel would be out soon, hopefully in the same good mood that Shelby had dropped her off in. She and Rachel had talked a little bit about what was going on at school, but Shelby was still getting the impression that Rachel was hiding something from her. There was something that was not being said, and Shelby really wanted to know what it was. She needed to know what it was because it was obviously affecting Rachel in a negative way.

At the moment, all she knew was that a girl named Mercedes Jones did not like the fact that Rachel was living with her mother and was convinced that Rachel was giving Shelby their set lists. Set lists that had not even been created yet.

Shelby honestly wanted to know why the hell the girl thought it was any of her business where Rachel lived. She had promised, though, not to go to the school unless it continued to be a problem. She knew that it was sometimes hard on students to have their parents fix their problems for them, so Shelby would wait it out. For now. If she even had a thought pass through her mind that trouble was still occurring, she would be at that school, and she had told Rachel as much. She would not let her daughter continue to be a victim. Her self-worth was nearly nonexistent as it was.

Rachel was going to do her best to hide anything that happened to her at school. She hadn't told her mother about the slushie. Or, rather, that the slushie had also come from Mercedes. She knew that if her mother found that out, there would be no stopping the woman from going to school.

And that would be embarrassing.

Soon, Rachel climbed into the car and tossed her bag in the backseat. Her hair was braided down her back, a braid that Shelby always did while Rachel was eating breakfast before they left for the dance studio, and her jacket was covering her dance outfit, her boots pulled up over her tights. They were going out to eat now, and Rachel was excited. She looked forward to their Saturday lunches.

"How was dance?" Shelby asked as she backed out of the parking lot.

"It was good. It was nice to dance and not have to worry about anything. It was relaxing."

"I am glad, Rachel. Everyone needs something that helps them relax." Shelby said, pulling out into the road.

"Yea, not everyone can relax in a hot bath with a glass of wine." Rachel said slyly. She knew that her mother liked taking a long, hot bath with a glass of wine after a rough week. Rachel was not one to sit still long, so dancing was much better for her.

Shelby shot her a look with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you even know that I do that? Usually you are already asleep when I take a bath."

"Mama. Seriously? Two weeks ago you left the bottle of wine out on the cabinet in your bathroom and the glass was still sitting by the tub. Do you watch me sleep or something? That is weird." Rachel shrugged, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"What were you even doing in my bathroom? You have your own," Shelby teased. She didn't care if Rachel was in her bathroom. She didn't care if the girl was in her room as long as she didn't start snooping through things.

"And, no I do not watch you sleep," Shelby said, though it was a lie and she did, at times go in Rachel's room after she was asleep and watch her for a few minutes, "But, I do check on you before I go to bed."

"Oh. Well that is okay then. And, I needed tampons. I went in there to get a few."

Shelby pulled up at a stop sign and looked at Rachel.

"Rachel, why didn't you tell me that you needed some? I would have gotten some on the way home one day. Or, I would have went out and got them."

Rachel shrugged again.

"You had some. I only needed a few."

"Now you are out though, correct?"

"Well…yea. But I don't need them now."

"You will in about two weeks." Shelby pointed out.

"I suppose so." Rachel said. What was the point of this conversation?

"I will buy you some more when we buy groceries. Next time, tell me, please. I don't think you want to random realize that you have started and not have anything with you."

Obviously not, Rachel thought.

"Yea. Okay." Rachel said, her face a bit flushed from embarrassment. She had only mentioned that her mother liked to relax in the tub with a glass of wine! How had it turned into the third degree?

"Rachel? Isn't that one of the girls who broke into Caramel with you? Quinn? The one that Maribel Lopez picked up with her daughter?" Shelby asked suddenly.

Rachel looked out the window and sighed. Yea. It was Quinn. And she was carrying a duffel bag and a rolling suitcase. Weird.

"Yea that is her. So?" Rachel asked.

"I am going to stop and ask if she needs a ride." Shelby said,

"No." Rachel said instantly, her entire body sitting up a little bit straighter. She did not want to stop and ask Quinn if she wanted a ride! Sure, the girl had been better lately, much better than Mercedes and some of the others, but still! It was Quinn!

"Rachel! She is walking down the road with a suitcase and a duffel bag. She is nowhere near any housing. I am going to make sure that she doesn't need help."

"Mama. No! We have plans!" Rachel said, not wanting their schedule to be upset just because Quinn Fabray was having some kind of tantrum. Maybe she even wanted to walk down the road. Shelby pulled over to the side of the road and looked at her child.

"Rachel, why are you acting like this? I never said that our plans were canceled. I simply said that I was going to see if she was okay and ask her if she needed a ride somewhere. If it were you, I would hope that a parent of one of your schoolmates would make sure you were okay."

"Yea, well, I am not an effin Quinn." Rachel mumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to humble herself a little. Shelby ignored her daughter and climbed out of the car and walked over to Quinn, who had stopped and stared. Rachel was watching out of her visor mirror to see what was going on.

For five minutes, she sat there while her mother talked to Quinn. Rachel did not like this. She did not like it at all and the longer she sat there, the more pissed off she became because they were obviously getting nowhere.

Shelby walked back to the car and stuck her head and upper body through the open door.

"She is going to come with us until Maribel Lopez can pick her up."

Rachel's eyes widened and she turned her head and stared at her mother.

"The hell she is!" Rachel said. She currently had no filter and didn't even care.

"Rachel! Watch your mouth or we will just go straight home without doing lunch out. Regardless of where we are going, Quinn is coming with us."

"No! That isn't fair! Why the hell does she have to come with us? There are tons of people who would just love to have her come hang out with them! I am not fucking one of them, Mama!" Rachel screamed at her mother.

Shelby leaned in the car and then reached over to take Rachel's chin in her right hand so that she could force Rachel to look at her and the teenager would be unable to look away.

"For those little comments, we are no longer going out to eat, and you can also text Noah and tell him that he for sure is not coming over tonight. Then you can hand your phone over. I let you get away with your cursing yesterday because you were upset and we needed to talk about things, which was way more important; but perhaps I shouldn't have let you get away with it. I am not going to continue to let it slide, princess." Shelby said. She didn't miss the angry tears in the corner of Rachel's eyes.

"That isn't fair!" Rachel cried out angrily.

"I am sorry that you feel that way, princess, but those are the consequences for your behavior. Now, I suggest that you calm yourself down and act like a good little host, else you will lose all of your electronics for a week, possibly longer if your behavior does not improve."

Rachel huffed and jerked away from her mother's hand and then slammed her back into the seat.

"Fine."

"Good." Shelby said, and then went to collect Quinn.

Shelby sighed. She knew that Rachel didn't want the girl going home with them, but something was very wrong with the blonde teenager and Shelby could not let her continue to walk down the road alone like she had been doing. According to Quinn, Maribel, her husband, Santiago, and Santana were out of town for the day and the girl had nowhere to go. Shelby was not positive, but she was sure that through the girl's tears she had heard her say that her mother had kicked her out of her home.

From what Maribel had told Shelby the one time they had met during their short conversation after the auditorium incident, Quinn's parents were all about looks and were rather harsh with the girl when they were around at all. She spent most of her time with the Lopez family. Today, though, they were out, so Quinn had nowhere else to go. Shelby would not be able to take it if she didn't take the girl, mainly because if Rachel was in that situation she would really hope that someone would take care of her daughter as well.

And, though Rachel did not know it, Quinn and Rachel were very much alike. Shelby didn't know why Rachel was adamant that the girl not go home with them, she would find out later.

"Come on, Quinn. I will call Maribel when we get to my house." Shelby said. They were only thirty minutes away. Quinn was pretty far outside of the housing district for having walked.

Quinn nodded. She didn't care where she went.

In fact, she was pretty sure it didn't matter.

Because all she knew was that she couldn't go home.

She didn't have a home anymore.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was pissed. Quinn, the same girl who used to call her horrid names at school, was now sitting in the backseat of her mother's vehicle. Her mother had sent her a warning glance as she climbed back into the car, though Rachel had pointedly looked away.

Now, Rachel was sitting in the front seat, her arms crossed over her chest in utter defiance. She had really wanted to go out to lunch, and she had really wanted Puck to come over.

And, Rachel was adamant in her mind, that it was Quinn's fault that those things were not happening. She had texted Puck and told him. She had tried to continue texting him until her mother had leaned over while driving down the road and had taken her phone from her, putting it in her purse so that Rachel could not use it.

That had also not made Rachel particularly happy at all. She had wanted to tell her mother exactly what she could do with that phone.

But, she kept quiet. She would not give Quinn the satisfaction of seeing her get into trouble, plus she knew that her mother would probably do more than swat her if she told her that. Rachel wasn't sure what her mom might do, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be pretty.

Once they got home and walked into the house, Shelby turned to Quinn and smiled at the girl, who was still clearly upset and in her own little world of thoughts and confusion.

"Quinn, the living room is right there. Please make yourself at home and turn the television on. Rachel and I will be right back." Shelby said, gently guiding Rachel towards the kitchen.

Rachel went, but none too happily.

"I don't want her here!" Rachel hissed. Shelby shook her head.

"Rachel, where is your compassion? I have never seen you act like this."

"You haven't even asked _why_ I don't want her here! And this is supposed to be my home! My place!" Rachel said angrily, slamming her left hand against the counter near her.

"You are right. I haven't. And, I was going to, after Quinn left. Rachel, I was not going to leave a sixteen year old girl walking down the side of the road with her suitcase in her hands. It would not have mattered what you told me, Rachel, I would have made the same choices. I know that this is your home. It is not _supposed _to be your home, it _is_ your home. Regardless, I could not leave that girl on the side of the road, Rachel. Not as a mother, not as a teacher."

"That isn't fair! You didn't even think about asking me! Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Rachel. I just told you that you and I were going to talk about it tonight."

"Well, it is her fault that we didn't go eat lunch like we always do on Saturdays after dance and it is her fault that Noah can't come over and that you took my phone! It isn't fair and now our whole day is ruined!"

Shelby, in their back of her mind, suddenly realized that Rachel was use to structure. Despite her fathers having nothing to do with her, it was a structured schedule that got Rachel through having no parental figures. She ate at the same place every day. She ate the same meals every Monday, Tuesday, and every other day. Every day the meal changed and then the cycle started over the next week. Even now they had maintained a pretty structured schedule through the week because that was the way that Shelby had set their schedules up so that Rachel would know what to expect. Rachel was probably just as upset about her schedule being messed up as she was about not getting to eat out or having Puck over. It would explain why Rachel was always upset about missing a day of school, even when she would turn around and skip her classes. Still, there were consequences for acting up.

"You are acting like a small child, Rachel Barbra. It is fair. Your language is fixing to get you into major trouble, Rachel, and your language and your attitude is the reason that you lost those privileges today. You need to realize that this decision was mine to make. I understand that you do not get it. You do not understand why I, as a mother and an adult, had to pick up Quinn. You cannot see past your insecurities and your dislike to realize that Quinn needed help, and regardless of how you feel about her, we had to help her. It was my decision."

"Well, it was a dumb ass decision!" Rachel hissed. Despite their anger, both of them were speaking in low, hushed tones so that Quinn could not hear them.

Shelby, who had had enough of Rachel's mouth and attitude that day to last her a lifetime, grabbed the girl's arm and swatted her backside hard. She knew that Rachel felt it, because the girl was only wearing her dance clothes, and they were on the thin side.

Rachel glared at her mother and stomped her foot.

"You are being so…so ridiculous!" Rachel said, and then turned and ran out of the room and up the stairs. She slammed her door hard, and then, in a random fit of temper, opened the door and slammed it again for good measure.

She was so angry!

Downstairs, Shelby had walked in the living room to tell Quinn that she would be with her in a moment, and if she was thirsty to help herself to anything in the fridge.

She had cringed at the slam of the door, but she was furious at the sound of the door being opened and slammed again just for the hell of it.

"Quinn, excuse me for just a moment." Shelby said as she headed for the stairs.

Quinn sat back on the couch awkwardly. She had known this was a bad idea. She had known that Rachel would not be happy about her coming to her house. Not that she blamed her. Quinn had been right mean to Rachel for a long time. Until recently. Quinn had stopped calling her names when Santana told her that she wanted to be her friend; that Rachel was not really like the person she pretended to be.

And, Quinn was beginning to notice it at school. Rachel was changing. Or, perhaps, she was just beginning to show the real Rachel Berry.

Plus, Quinn had realized how stupid she had been. She watched the way Mercedes had been treating Rachel and saw the hurt in Rachel's eyes and she realized that it used to be her hurting Rachel like that.

She didn't want to be that person anymore, but she wasn't sure that she and Rachel would ever be friends.

Quinn knew what it was like to be hurt by people. She wished that she had never been the type of person that hurt another, but she had. And, now, she had to pay the consequences for her bullying.

Shelby stalked up the stairs and opened the door to her daughter's bedroom and then shut it behind her so that maybe their voices would not travel downstairs.

Rachel was walking out of her bathroom, an angry look on her face still, as Shelby stood in front of her.

"What was that, Rachel Barbra? What _was_ that?"

"You could have knocked! This is my room!" Rachel yelled.

"And I am the mom, Rachel! This entire house is mine, and privacy is a privilege! I think that you have forgotten that I am your mother today, Rachel."

God. How many times had her sister told her something similar when she was growing up and getting into trouble? Shelby shook her head. Now was not the time to think about all the hell she had obviously put her poor sister through when she was growing up. This was about Rachel and her misbehavior.

"I should be able to be angry if I want to be angry! Shit!" Rachel yelled at her mother. Shelby had had enough of her daughter and her daughter's mouth to last a lifetime at the moment. She grabbed Rachel's arm and dragged her towards the bed, swatted her two times.

Then Shelby turned and pulled the blankets down.

"Bed. Now. You need a nap." Shelby stated.

Rachel's eyes opened wide. Seriously? A nap? She was fifteen!

"I don't need a nap." Rachel said quietly, her temper finally starting to leave her.

"Obviously you do."

"Mama. I am fifteen…"

"And you have been acting like you are three. Bed. Now." Rachel huffed but she didn't trust the look in her mother's eyes or the slight twitch in her left hand…her swatting hand. So Rachel climbed into the bed and laid her head on her pillows as her mother pulled the blankets up.

"I don't want to take a nap." Rachel whined, tears of frustration sitting in the corners of her eyes.

Shelby suddenly got a glimpse at what her daughter probably would have been like when being forced to nap as a toddler.

"Tough." Shelby said, kissed her head, and then left the room. It was one in the afternoon, and she was already exhausted, something that honestly did not happen to her very often because she was used to having strenuous, long days.

She wasn't going to make Rachel lay down long, but the girl really needed a time out of sorts, and making her lie down was just easier than sticking her in the corner or something similar. No one had eaten lunch yet, so Shelby was going to cook them all lunch while she called and talked to Maribel and then she would go up and get Rachel unless she really did fall asleep, though Shelby doubted that she would.

Shelby walked into the living room and looked at Quinn who had the television on, but was not really watching it.

"Quinn, I am going to make lunch. Are you allergic to anything?" Shelby asked. Once upon a time, she would not have even thought about asking that question, but she was so diligent about making sure that Rachel was never in contact with foods she was allergic too, she wanted to make sure that Quinn didn't have any allergies.

"No ma'am." Quinn said. Shelby nodded and then headed to the kitchen, picking her cell phone as she did.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel only stayed in bed for all of five minutes before she snuck back down the stairs. She heard her mom in the kitchen on the phone, so she snuck into the living room and sat on the couch opposite of Quinn.

For several moments, the two eyed one another carefully.

"Your mom reminds me of Maribel…Santana's mom. She is pretty take charge too." Quinn said quietly.

Rachel moved her head to the side a little bit.

"You stay with Santana a lot?" Rachel asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes. Rachel…I…I should never have called you names. Watching Mercedes do it lately…well, it made me realize that it wasn't fair."

"Yea. It wasn't. I guess if you can say you are sorry for being such a bitch to me in the past, then I can say that I am sorry for trying to get my mom not to pick you up off the side of the road today. What were you even doing?"

Quinn looked down. Ashamed.

"My mom kicked me out of the house today. She told me never to come back." Quinn whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Oh." Rachel said, and instantly felt bad for her actions earlier in the day. She knew what that was like. She knew what it was like to be kicked out of your home.

"Yea."

"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked. She had been dropped off at her mother's home. Yes, it had hurt like hell, and she was still trying to adjust, but she could at least be thankful that she had been dropped off like a lost puppy than thrown out of the house with just a single suitcase and backpack.

"I don't know."

Shelby, who had been listening, chose that moment to walk in.

"Quinn, Maribel is going to be here soon, and the three of us are going to sit down and talk. Rachel, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?" Shelby said lightly. She had heard both girls apologize to one another. She now knew that Quinn had, at one time, been mean to her daughter, but, despite that, Shelby was still glad that she had picked the girl off the side of the road. No child deserved to be thrown out of their homes, and both of those girls had been. It was sad. Maybe now, the two girls would have a chance to become friends.

Once in the kitchen and out of view of the living room, Shelby landed another swat to her daughter's behind, though softer than the others she had dealt out that day. Rachel spun around and sighed, ""Seriously?! What is with all the swats today?"

"I am going to do more than swat you if you don't start listening to me in about the next ten seconds. I thought I told you to take a nap."

Rachel looked up, her eyes full of mock innocence.

"I did. I laid down for five minutes!"

"Well, princess, I am going to warn you right now: You had better be on your best behavior for the rest of the day because you are really pushing it today."

Shelby was answered with a hug from her manipulative little princess.

"I will behave. I promise. Please stop swatting me though. Quinn is going to see if you keep doing it." Rachel whined.

Shelby held in her laughter, though barely.

"Behave then. Rach, seriously, your behavior was unacceptable earlier. Also, Rachel, when Maribel gets here, I am going to need you to go up to your room and stay there so that we can talk to Quinn, okay? I am not sure if Santana is coming, but if she does, I would appreciate it if you would take her up there as well, okay? Without any drama."

Rachel nodded.

"Okay. I can do that. Besides, Santana and I are friends now. We decided that yesterday." Rachel said, and then turned and made her way back to the living room.

Her child was so complicated sometimes, Shelby thought as she smiled to herself and turned back to the stove to finish lunch.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Quinn sat awkwardly on the couch and wished that she was upstairs in Rachel's room with Rachel and Santana. Not in front of Maribel Lopez and Shelby Corcoran. She was intimidated. Maribel Lopez intimidated her by herself, but both of these women together were way beyond that.

"Quinn, sweetie, why did you tell Shelby that I was out of town? Where were you going?" Maribel asked softly. She could tell that the girl was upset. She had spent years watching this little girl grow. She had watched her grow more than her own parents had.

"I didn't want you to know." The girl whispered.

Shelby watched the hurt that crossed Maribel's face, though it was quickly hidden as the woman took Quinn's hand in her own.

"Quinn, tell me where you were going." Maribel asked her again. Shelby had told her that she had been miles outside of the area where the girl lived.

Quinn sniffed and looked up into Maribel's eyes.

"I don't know. I was just walking. I just…I don't know. My mom took my phone and my car. I was just going to walk."

"Why did she tell you to leave, Quinn?"

Quinn stiffened and looked away.

"Please don't make me tell you right now."

Maribel scooted over to the girl and wrapped her arms around her. Quinn settled instantly into the embrace, soaking up the affection.

The girl reminded Shelby of Rachel so much. This girl in front of her craved attention just as much as Rachel did.

"You don't have to tell me, Quinn. Not right now. When you are ready. You know that you are coming home with me, though, correct? Did you honestly think that I was going to be happy to hear that you were hitchhiking down the road?"

Quinn sniffed.

"I wasn't hitchhiking. I was just walking. I swear, Mauri." Quinn said, looking into Maribel's eyes with her own tear filled ones. Maribel smiled at the name Quinn called her. Quinn had called her that since she was six.

"I believe you, Quinn. And your reasoning for not walking towards my house?"

Quinn swallowed.

"Because, if you turned me away, what do I have left? I have nowhere else to go. I had to get my head right before I just showed up there, Mauri. I had too. My own mom kicked me out of her house and told me that she never wanted to see me again. Why would you want me at your house if even she didn't want me? I had to prepare myself in case you told me that I couldn't stay with you."

Maribel held the girl tighter.

"You always have a home with me, Quinn. Always."

Shelby placed her hand over on Quinn's knee, and the girl looked at her.

"Quinn, before you leave here today, I want you to take my number with you. If you are ever in a situation like you were today, and you cannot get a hold of Maribel, I want you to call me."

Quinn sniffed again. She was tired of crying.

"I am sure that Rachel would love that. I haven't exactly always been really nice to her. Besides, I don't have a phone anymore." Quinn whispered.

"Quinn, I think today is a good day to put the past behind you. You and Rachel both apologized to one another. Though, Quinn, Maribel and I talked for a while on the phone earlier, and I can't let you continue to be mean to Rachel. If I can stop it, no one is going to continue to hurt her. You and she are a lot alike, Quinn, and she has been hurt enough, just like you have. Maybe, if both of you try, you could be friends."

Quinn nodded.

"I can try. I am not exactly in the position to be turning friends down."

"Good girl, Quinn. Because you know what will happen if I find out if either you or Santana are bullying people at school. And don't you worry about a phone. Santiago and I will make sure you have a phone. I do not want you going without."

Quinn blushed but nodded in the affirmative. She knew what would happen if she was caught bullying people. She was also embarrassed that the woman would get her a phone. She didn't want them to be out anything because of her.

"May I go upstairs to see Rachel and Santana?"

"Go ahead. And I don't want to hear any fighting." Maribel said. She wanted to talk to Shelby about a few things before she took the girls and left.

Quinn got up, wiped her eyes on her sleeve, and then raced up the stairs in search of Rachel's room.

Maribel sighed deeply. She had seen this coming for years. She had actually expected it sooner than now.

"Thank you, Shelby, for picking her up. There is no telling where she would be right now had you not."

Shelby looked at Maribel and studied her for a few moments.

"She is just a kid. I couldn't let her continue to walk around with a suitcase and a duffel bag. There are too many freaks in this world who prey on little girls. And, despite what our angels think, they are still little girls. I know that I have not had Rachel long, but she is my baby…I cannot imagine someone willingly dropping her off, nor can I understand a mother kicking her child out of the house and telling her not to come back. I do not care what Quinn did, she did not deserve that just like Rachel did not deserve being left on my doorstep like an unwanted pet." Shelby stated.

Maribel nodded. She only knew what happened to Rachel because Shelby told her, but it angered her that someone could do that to their child as well.

"I have known Quinn's parents for a long time. Santiago and I have talked about it for quite some time now, and I am hoping that it might be possible to gain custody of Quinn now that she has been kicked out of her home by her mother. I am going to speak with Judy Fabray this week, as well as a lawyer. I am not going to tell Quinn until we know for sure, but something has to give. She needs a stable home, and right now she does not have that."

"You would do that for her? It is obvious that the child needs someone. That is for sure." Shelby said, thinking about the day she had had so far.

"I would. I love Quinn like my own child. You took Rachel in without a thought."

"I never wanted to give her up. I wanted her so badly. I was young and stupid to have listened to the Berry men. I didn't think that I had a choice. I didn't realize I did until I finally told my sister four months after Rachel was born, and after ninety days, I lost my rights."

"Maybe so, but Shelby, Rachel is prospering. While I have not been around the child much, even I have seen the difference since she has started living with you from before. Even I have seen an infamous Rachel Berry storm out more then once. I am hopeful that if Quinn can live with my family permanently, that she would proper as well as Rachel."

"There have been so many ups and downs. It was all so unexpected. I was used to teaching and coaching, but not to having a daughter. I always worry about messing her up. Every decision that I have to make, every time that I have to get on to her…everything. I am always afraid that she is going to start to resent me or that she is going to be more messed up than she already is."

Maribel laughed lightly and took one of Shelby's hands in her own.

"You are not going to mess up. Believe me, I have had the same worries at times. Was I too harsh on Santana when she did this wrong, or when she did that. Am I going to make a decision that one day destroys our relationship…but Shelby, I have learned over the years that as long as you try and make the best decision that you can, and as long as it is followed through with love, that in the end it will always be okay. I cannot worry every time that I ground Santana that she is going to hate me. I cannot stress over every misbehavior after all is said and done. If we do, we will go insane."

"You sound like my sister." Shelby said softly.

"How many children does she have?"

Shelby smiled, though the smile was a bit sad, and said, "Not including me, two others. She raised me from the time I was twelve. My parents died then. She is eight years older than I am, not that it mattered once she had custody of me. Now that I am raising Rachel, I feel badly for how horrible I was at times. I see so much of myself in Rachel, sometimes it is scary. Kate, my sister, tells me that we are just alike. I suppose I should be thankful that she didn't murder me in my sleep."

Maribel laughed out loud and smiled at the other woman.

"It is a learning experience. That is for sure. But, I do not think that you have anything to worry about. I think that you are going to be just fine. You and Rachel."

"Thank you. Sometimes that is what I need to hear, I suppose. And, I was serious about what I told Quinn. The same goes for you and Santana. If you ever need anything, you are more than welcome to call me."

"And the same goes for both you and Rachel, Shelby."

The two women talked for a while longer. During this talk, they formed a bond. A friendship that would last forever. Maribel Lopez and Shelby Corcoran would forever be the best of friends thanks to a lonely little girl walking down the road, afraid that she was unwanted, even in the only place she was truly accepted.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Santana sat in the window seat of Rachel's room and watched as the girl walked around the room talking about one Broadway show or another and listened as she quickly jumped from something about a wicked witch to discussing Barbra Streisand. Santana just shook her head. No one ever said that being friends with Berry would be easy, and Santana could tell that the other girl was trying to keep her own mind off of something. She could see it in her face.

"Berry, will you shut the hell up for a minute?" Santana finally said after listening to Rachel jump around topics for a good fifteen minutes.

Rachel stopped and then stared at Santana.

"Sorry. It has been a long day…I just needed to vent." Rachel said, blushing.

Venting? That was what she had been doing?

"Berry, that was not venting. You just told me then entire history of Broadway and Barbra Streisand in fifteen minutes. That was not venting. What is the deal?"

Rachel sighed.

"I am not particularly happy with my mother at the moment."

"Because?" Santana tried. Rachel looked at her suspiciously for a few moments.

"Why do you want to know?"

Santana watched Berry.

"You have no idea how to be a friend do you, Berry? Friends tell each other shit. They fuss about their parents if they need too, they talk about their boyfriends. Friends just talk about stuff because they trust one another. I only asked because I thought you might want to talk about it."

Rachel realized that Santana was right. She really didn't know how to be a friend, but not that she had one, hell if she wasn't going to try.

"My mom pissed me off earlier when she picked up Quinn and we got into it. But, Quinn and I have talked about it and we apologized to one another." Rachel said, a bit shyly because she knew that Quinn was Santana's best friend.

"Yea, I understand. But, Berry, if you can forgive me, since I am like the biggest bitch in Lima, you can probably forgive Quinn too. I mean, she is a pretty kick ass friend if you get to know her."

"Yea. I can only try. You might not want to let my mom hear you using cuss words though…she apparently really doesn't like those types of words." Rachel said, very seriously.

Santana burst out laughing. Good grief, Berry was hilarious.

"She got you for that earlier didn't she?" Santana asked. Rachel blushed, but was saved from answering when there was a knock at her door and she turned to see Quinn standing there.

"You can come in, Quinn." Rachel said quietly. She felt off having Quinn in her room.

Quinn looked around the room as she walked in. Rachel had a nice room. A very nice room.

"Your room is nice, Rachel." Quinn said. Santana raised an eyebrow. Her room was nice? It was, Santana thought to herself, but that was not a very Quinn thing to say.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Santana. Mauri is already going to make me talk about it tonight. Mom kicked me out. The end." Quinn whispered.

Santana nodded. She knew that she might never hear the entire story. She didn't need too, and it wasn't fair of her to ask Quinn about it if she didn't want to talk about it.

Rachel obviously didn't have the same filter.

"Your mom really just kicked you out? Just like that? Why?" Rachel asked. She wasn't trying to be cruel. In all honesty, Rachel wasn't one to even know how to be cruel to other people. She just didn't know when to shut up.

"Rachel…she doesn't want to talk about it." Santana said as gently as possible.

"No. I want to know…tell me Quinn. Please." Rachel asked, desperation in her voice. Santana looked at her, confused at her sudden change in demeanor. Quinn was staring at her in a similar fashion.

"Rachel, I don't want to talk…"

"No! You have to tell me. If you tell me why your mom kicked you out, maybe I can figure out why my dads kicked me out and left me here. Maybe if I know, I won't do the same thing…You have Mrs. Lopez…if my mom kicks me out, I am done. I don't have anyone else. My fathers hated me and left me like a dog on the side of the road out in the cold to wait for my mom for _hours_. They left me on the front porch with boxes of my things with a note safety pinned to my sweater. I need to know so that I don't do it again." Rachel said, the desperation in her voice apparent to both of the other girls now.

Santana and Quinn looked at Rachel. The girl was quite a bit shorter than both of them, at least five inches shorter than Quinn and eight shorter than Santana. She was standing in her dance clothes, still, and she looked…small. Vulnerable. They hadn't realized that her fathers had been _that _cruel.

"Rachel…I promise that your mom isn't going to leave you. She isn't going to kick you out like mine did. Like your fathers did." Quinn whispered.

Rachel shook her head.

"You cannot promise me that. I just need to know what not to do so that my mom will love me." Rachel said, her eyes clouding over as her thoughts took her somewhere else. She was frozen in place. It was, in Santana and Quinn's eyes, almost scary.

Santana stood up and went over to Berry. She took her by the arm and shook her gently.

"Berry, listen to me you little hobbit, your mom loves you. Why would she take you in when your fucked up fathers left you on the doorstep of her house if she didn't? She didn't even hesitate did she?" Santana said.

Quinn stepped closer to Rachel and put a hand on her shoulder so that the girl would look up at her.

"My mom isn't like yours, Rachel. I told you, your mom is like Santana's mom. I was just afraid today. I was afraid to go to her. But, I know that I can stay with Santana's family. I have lived with them more in my life than my own family. Your mom is like Mauri."

"I can't mess this up. I don't have another place to go like you do. I am at my last chance." Rachel said.

Quinn looked at Santana. What did they do? Berry was practically sharing her deepest fear with them. She was vulnerable.

Quinn was shocked when Santana walked up to the girl and wrapped her arms around her.

And Rachel broke. She fell into Santana's hug and cried.

Quinn was suddenly hit with a realization that shocked her.

She and Berry were going to be friends. They shared some random bond that they shouldn't. They had both been wronged by parents. They had both been tossed aside by people who were supposed to love them.

Without another thought, Quinn joined the hug so that she could help console Rachel, and possibly be consoled as well.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel and Shelby stood on the porch as Maribel backed up her car with Santana and Quinn in the car with her. Shelby wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulder and held her near her. She could tell that Rachel had been crying, but she didn't want to push her for information at the moment. When the girls had come down the stairs she and Maribel had both noticed how somber they were.

Rachel suddenly looked up at her mother.

"Can we go out and eat now?"

Shelby looked down at her daughter. Was she serious?

"They are gone now and it is Saturday." Rachel said. It was Saturday, and they were supposed to go out and eat.

Shelby turned to look at her daughter. She studied her face for several moments.

"Princess, you and I need to have a talk." Shelby said, and then guided her daughter back into the house so that they could sit on the couch and have a long conversation.

* * *

**AN: So, this chapter was a bit longer than normal for this story... I hope that you all enjoyed it. It will probably be a few (or several) days before I post again for several reasons...the priorty should be because it is the end of the semester and I have an essay to write, the reality is that I want to stay ahead on this story, so I have some writing I need to do lol. **

**Thoughts about this chapter? Thoughts on Quinn? Why she was kicked out? How about the friendships that are brewing? Rachel's reactions in the beginning of the story?**


	18. An Unsweet Melody

**Chapter Eighteen: An Unsweet Melody**

Rachel sat on the couch and stared at her mother who was sitting on the coffee table in front of her.

Rachel did not like this setup. She had the feeling that she was about to be lectured. Again. It had really not been her day at all. She was pretty sure that the spot her mom kept swatting was never going to be the same again, too.

"Rachel, do you honestly think that you deserve to go out and eat today?" Shelby finally asked. She almost didn't know how to have this conversation with her daughter because she wasn't sure how to make Rachel truly understand that there were consequences to her actions if she didn't understand it earlier. She also was not sure if Rachel was just playing her, though she was pretty sure that she wasn't. Shelby was pretty certain that Rachel truly did not understand.

"It is Saturday." Rachel pointed out.

"Yes, Rachel, but I told you that we were not going after your behavior this afternoon." Shelby told her.

Rachel sighed.

"Yea, but that was when Quinn was with us."

"Rachel, listen, you are going to have to learn that there are consequences when you misbehave. Today those consequences are that you do not get to go out and eat like we normally do on Saturdays, Noah is no longer allowed to come over, and you lost your phone. Those are the consequences."

"So, you are still keeping my phone, too? How long?" Rachel asked. She did understand that these were the consequences of her actions, but she hadn't thought that her mother was serious.

"You can have it back on Monday morning. Rachel, do you understand why I took away those things? If you don't understand why, we need to talk about it."

Rachel sat back and drew her knees up to her chest.

"Yea, I understand. I had an attitude and was using language that I know you do not like, so you took away things that I like. Those were the consequences. I don't have to be happy about it, though, do I?" Rachel said in a whisper and then finally looked up at her mother.

Shelby smiled slightly.

"No, you do not have to be happy about it. I don't expect you too. But you have to respect my decisions. I really think that you forgot that I am the mother in this relationship today, princess, and I need you to realize that I have no issues reigning you back in when necessary. The next time that you act like you did today, losing a few privileges is going to be the least of your worries. Understand?"

Rachel nodded, and looked down at her feet.

"I am going to need a verbal answer, princess." Shelby said sternly.

"Yes ma'am, I understand."

Shelby leaned up and patted Rachel's knee.

"Good girl. Now, how about we go grab a snack. I had lunch cooked, but I am sure it is cold now. We can eat a snack and then eat supper a little early tonight."

Shelby stood up and then pulled Rachel up and against her chest so that she could hug the girl. After fighting with her all day, Shelby knew they both needed the hug.

She was proved right when Rachel practically melted into the hug and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Monday afternoon, Rachel was in her aunt's car, texting Santana. She had had an excellent day because Mercedes had not been there to fuel any fires about her or her living situation and she had skipped fourth period so that she could make out with Puck in the scaffolding in the auditorium since she hadn't gotten to see him Saturday.

Rachel's phone dinged and she looked down.

_-So, where were you fourth?_

Fourth period she actually had class with Santana, but she hadn't really thought about that when she found her boyfriend and dragged him into the auditorium. She had, however, had her mother in thought.

-_I was making out with Noah in the auditorium. I didn't get to see him Saturday because I got in trouble. I skipped class. That was my mom's consequence._

That was exactly how Rachel felt too. Her mother had given her consequences for her language and attitude, and in turn, Rachel had given her mother consequences for not letting her boyfriend come over.

Her phone dinged again.

_-Fucking shit, Berry! Are you insane?! Do not tell your mother that! She will kill your scrawny ass!_

The text was followed by another ding.

_-Seriously. Do. Not. Tell. Your. Mother. That. I am trying to keep you out of trouble, you scrawny midget!_

Rachel shook her head and texted the girl back as her aunt pulled into the driveway.

_-Geeze, I won't! I have to go. At my aunt's house. Ttyl._

Rachel stuck her phone in her bag and then climbed out of the car. Apparently, her mother's practice had been shit that afternoon, so she was going to be late and had wanted Kate to just go home with Rachel and she would pick Rachel up a bit later.

"Wachel. Will you play with me?" Aria asked as they walked in the house. Rachel looked up at her aunt, who nodded encouragingly to her, and then looked back at Aria.

"Sure. Where do you want to play?"

"My room. I want you to play dolls with me."

Rachel nodded as Aria took her hand and pulled her towards her room. Rachel hadn't really ever been in Aria's room but she knew there was only one word to describe.

Pink.

Everything in the room was pink. _Everything_.

"Over here, Wachel." Aria said, as she sat down, shedding her coat on her bed, and picked up several dolls.

"You be this one. Aunt Wellby plays her. You can play her today."

Rachel nodded. What in the hell was she supposed to do with a doll? Rachel looked over at the three, soon to be four, year old.

"So…what do we do?"

Aria looked at her and shook her head.

"I will teach you."

And, she did. Over the next hour, Rachel Barbra Berry was taught how to play by her three year old cousin. With those dolls, they danced and sang and talked to one another.

Rachel learned a lot about the little girl, who had taken to randomly hugging Rachel throughout their play. She knew that Aria liked to dance, but didn't know if she liked to sing. She liked dress up and sneaking into her mommy's bed during thunderstorms.

In turn, Aria learned that her big cousin could sing. Not only could she sing, but she sang like an angel.

After Aria heard Rachel sing, she begged for her to sing again. Rachel sang to the little girl in low tones, so as not to disturb the rest of the house.

She had disturbed her fathers once. After that, she never sang at her home again, and since Aria seemed to enjoy it so much, she didn't want to ruin it here. She didn't want her aunt and uncle to be like her fathers…she didn't want those types of memories connected to this house or her mother's house. She never wanted those types of memories to be connected to anything ever again.

"God, can you shut up?"

Rachel could even hear her fathers.

"Wachel is singing to me, Sissy!"

"Well, she needs to shut up because it is annoying, you little brat."

Rachel shook her head. That wasn't her fathers. She looked up, the doll in her hand falling to the floor as she stood up and pushed Aria behind her.

"Melody, stop being mean to Aria. She hasn't done anything to you. We were just playing." Rachel said in a low voice.

"No one asked you, _Wachel_. God, how can you even stand her calling you that? She is such a baby." Melody said.

Melody had instantly become jealous when Aria had asked Rachel to play with her. Aria was not Rachel's sister, she was hers. And, just because she didn't always want to play with her, didn't mean that Rachel could just come in and take over. It didn't help that Melody had not really had a good day at school, so she was already in a funny mood.

"Be nice, sissy!" Aria yelled.

"Stop whining! That is why mommy and daddy like me better than you. They should have left you in the cabbage patch you came from."

"I not come from a cabbage patch! Mommy and Daddy loves me!" Aria's speech, usually impeccable for a three, nearly four year old, was waning because she was so upset.

"Yea, maybe. They probably love me better." Melody said in a fit of normal sibling teasing.

It was Aria's tears that finally got to Rachel though.

It was like looking at herself. Aria had the same color hair as Rachel. Her eyes were lighter though. But not by much. Rachel felt like she was literally looking into herself as Aria backed into a corner and sat down, folding her knees against her chest and hiding her face as she cried.

"Stop it, Melody! Your words are hurting her! Do you even care?" Rachel asked, stepping up to Melody. Melody's reaction, however, was to push Rachel back.

At first, Rachel told herself that she could do nothing. Melody was eleven. She was fifteen.

Then, when Melody pushed her again, Rachel realized that Melody was already getting taller than she was.

And, the fight was on as Rachel finally pushed back, tired of always being the one on the sidelines letting others hurt her and those around her.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Kate was peeling potatoes so that she could make mashed potatoes since she knew that Rachel really liked them, and, honestly, a lot of her cooking Rachel merely pushed around on her plate, when she heard a noise coming from upstairs.

She looked over at Parker when they heard the noise again.

"What was that?" Kate asked her husband. Parker was taking a drink from his tea glass when they heard the noise again.

Then they heard the screams.

Both of them set down the things they were holding and rushed up the stairs and towards Aria's room where the door was wide open.

The first thing they noticed was the two girls, Melody and Rachel, rolling on the floor, and then Aria in the corner crying. Melody's hair was all over the place and Rachel's sweater was torn, practically falling off of her body.

"Grab Melody, Parker, I will grab Rachel." Kate said. She didn't know what the hell had happened, but she was sure going to find out. This was not in either of the girls' natures.

Plus, fighting was unacceptable.

It was harder to pull the girls apart than either one of the adults realized. In fact, it was a struggle. But, finally, despite the girls trying to get at one another, they were pulled apart.

"What is going on here?" Parker asked in a demanding tone.

"Ask your little demon!" Rachel screamed, tears falling down her face. She looked over at Aria, and it made her cry even harder. The little girl was still huddled in the corner.

"I will take these two downstairs, Parker, will you talk to Aria?" Kate asked in a low voice. Parker looked at the two girls, both still in his and Kate's grasp and raised his eyebrows in question.

"If they know what is good for them, they will do as they are told." Kate said, her voice no longer low. In fact, it was a little high so that she could insure the girls could hear her.

Parker nodded. Those girls would listen or they would regret it later.

Kate moved Rachel over to her left, and then grabbed Melody with her right hand and guided them both down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"This is all Rachel's fault!" Melody said once her mother turned to stare at them both.

Rachel tightened her body as she flinched.

"It was not my fault! Aria and I were fine until you came in there and started messing with us!" Rachel yelled at the girl.

Melody raised her hand to hit Rachel, momentarily forgetting that her mother was so close.

Rachel noticed the movement and was quicker than Melody. She pushed the girl away from her before she could be hit.

Kate grabbed them both and dragged them into the living room. Kate let Melody go, lifted her right hand and swatted Rachel, then moved to lift her right hand again to swat Melody.

"Both of you. Corner. Now." Kate stated. Melody, who knew that she had just gone too far, stalked over to a free corner.

Rachel had no idea what her aunt was talking about.

She looked at Kate, and Kate raised her eyebrows at her.

"Corner, Rachel."

"But why?" Rachel asked. Kate gently took her arm and moved her to stand in another free corner diagonal from Melody. Kate added another swat, a much lighter one this time, and said, "Face this corner. Do not move until I tell you that you can."

Then, Rachel's sobs grew to a completely new level, shocking Kate, who had walked into the kitchen to catch a breather before talking to the girls.

This was the scene that Shelby walked in on. She walked into her sister's house and immediately knew that something had happened. She saw Melody first, but heard Rachel's sobs. She looked over at the girl and then turned towards the kitchen to see her sister, who motioned for her to come over.

Shelby was torn, but decided that her sister could talk quickly, and then she could check on her daughter. She knew that Rachel was in trouble, but she needed to know why before she got her out of the corner.

Shelby took her coat off and laid it on a couch before moving into the kitchen to talk to her sister.

Her daughter's sobs only gained strength as Shelby left the living room, letting Shelby know that Rachel knew she was there.

"What happened?" Shelby asked.

"I am not sure. They got into a fight. Parker and I had to pull them apart. Parker is upstairs talking to Aria now. I think that she was frightened. I am not sure why they were fighting though."

"Why is Rachel so upset?"

"She was crying, screaming that the fight was Melody's fault, that she and Aria had been fine until she came in, and then I swatted them both and sent them to the corner. She acted like she had no clue what I was talking about, so I guided her to the corner, and she started crying harder." Kate told her younger sister.

Shelby nodded.

"She has never been in a corner before. She doesn't understand. She gets upset like that if she doesn't understand what is going on. We need to get her out of the corner and explain that to her." Shelby told her sister.

"We can get them both. They both had some pretty nasty scratches that need to be cleaned up. If you will get them and put them on the bar stools, I will get the stuff to clean them up."

Shelby nodded and walked into the living room.

"Melody, go sit on a bar stool in the kitchen."

Melody didn't need to be told twice, and went in there quickly. She was pretty sure she was in major trouble and didn't want to make her mother angrier than she already was.

Shelby walked over to Rachel's corner and gently turned the girl around. Rachel had tears and snot all over her face, her sweater was torn and hanging off of her as well.

"Raise your arms up." Shelby told her gently.

Rachel didn't question her. She just raised her arms up, and Shelby lifted the sweater over her head. Shelby knew she had a tank top on under her sweater, and there was no saving the sweater anyways.

Shelby wiped Rachel's face off with the remains of the purple and silver sweater.

"You bought me that sweater." Rachel sobbed. Shelby was instantly transported back to another sweater. A red sweater with a dog on it. A sweater that had been destroyed in the dryer.

"Hey, stop crying. We are going to talk about this. And, Rachel, yes, I bought you this sweater, but, sweetie, it won't be the last thing that I buy you, okay?"

"I liked that sweater. I just got it. I have only worn it twice. You bought it for me." Rachel cried and fell into her mother's chest.

Shelby rubbed her back and rocked her slightly back and forth. She knew that she had to talk to Rachel about her fighting, but some things were more important.

"Rachel, Princess, if you like the sweater that much, we will get you another one. I promise. But, right now, we need to go into the kitchen so that I can clean up these scratches and Kate and I can talk to you and Melody. Fighting is not allowed, Rachel, and we want to know why you were fighting. So, stop crying, and we will go talk about this."

Rachel nodded into her mother's chest and then stepped back. Shelby gently wiped her face again with the tattered sweater, and then she put her arm around Rachel and guided her into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, there were two stools sitting about three feet apart. Melody was already in one of them, so Rachel crawled up on the other. She didn't look at Melody. She didn't want to look at her for a long time.

Kate immediately handed Shelby some cotton balls and a bottle of peroxide. Both girls had several scratches down their arms, Rachel had a pretty nasty looking one from her neck, down her shoulder, and then her back where her sweater had been torn. Melody had a similar one on her side that Kate had noticed when she was climbing up on the stool.

"Either of you want to explain what that fight was about?" Kate asked. She had talked to Aria for a few seconds when getting the stuff to clean the girls up, and Aria had told her that Rachel and she had been playing when Melody started being a mean sister and made her cry. Then Aria didn't know what had happened because she had gone to the corner to cry.

"I don't want to talk about it." Melody said.

Rachel turned towards the girl.

"That is because you started it! Aria and I were just playing and she asked me to sing to her. I wasn't singing loud! I know that isn't allowed! I was singing quietly and Melody came in and started telling me to shut up and then she told Aria that she was found in a cabbage patch and that you should have left her there because you love Melody more than Aria. Aria is only a baby, she shouldn't think people don't love her." Rachel cried out.

Kate knew by the way that Melody blushed and turned her head down that what Rachel said was true.

Kate sighed.

"Melody, when I am finished cleaning these cuts up, I want you to go to your room until I come get you for supper. After supper, you will shower and get ready for bed and you, me, and your father will talk about what you did."

Kate's theory was further confirmed when Melody just nodded.

Shelby rubbed Rachel's back as she cleaned the cut on her shoulder. She watched as her daughter stiffened, then hissed when she was cleaning up the larger scratch.

"Mom, that hurts." They all heard Melody say.

Kate let out a harsh laugh.

"You weren't thinking about that when you were fighting with one another a moment ago. Sit still and let me finish." Kate told her.

Soon enough, Melody was cleaned up and sent upstairs, surprisingly without any fussing coming from her.

Kate watched as her little sister finished cleaning up her niece, stopping every once in a while to rub her back. It was obvious that Rachel had been very upset about more than one thing that had happened tonight.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Kate asked her.

Rachel turned to bury her head in her mother's chest and mumbled something.

Kate didn't hear her, but Shelby did and placed her hands on both of her daughter's shoulders and looked at her.

"Princess, is that what this is about? Besides the fight?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded.

Shelby let Rachel put her head back on her chest and then looked at Kate.

"She is confused about the swat you gave her and the fact that you sent her to the corner." Shelby said, rubbing Rachel's back.

"Rachel, sweetie, Aunt…Weazy is a disciplinarian in your life. You spend a lot of time with her, and she is allowed to swat you and send you to the corner. Anything that warrants more than that and she will tell me and I will decide your punishments. But, Rachel, swats and corner time are completely in Aunt Weazy's rights, okay? They are in Uncle Parker's right too, but that is all that either of them will ever do to punish you. Anything that needs to be punished further will be handled only by me." Shelby explained to her daughter.

Rachel sniffed, but turned her head to look at Kate.

"Okay. I understand. Don't get in trouble around Aunt Weazy or Uncle Parker." Rachel said quietly.

Shelby patted her back. It was going to take time. She knew it, Kate knew. Even Rachel knew it in her own little way.

At that moment, Aria ran into the kitchen and tugged on Shelby's pants leg. Shelby picked her up and then the little girl held her arms out to Rachel.

Rachel took her in her arms and Aria wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck.

"I love you, Wachel."

Rachel just hugged her tighter.

Sometimes all she wanted was a hug.

It was good to know that Aria was so free with them.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left**

"I am sorry that I fought with her, Mama." Rachel said as they drove the short drive home, her head leaning against the window.

It was barely above a whisper, but Shelby heard it.

"I realize that you were taking up for Aria. I am not exactly sure what happened tonight, but I would like you to tell me what set you off. What really set you off." Shelby said gently.

Rachel was silent for several moments.

"Aria."

That confused Shelby. Aria had set her off?

"What do you mean, Rachel?"

"Have you ever noticed that Aria looks a little bit like me? Have you seen the pictures of when I was little?"

Shelby had seen them. In fact, she and Kate had compared the pictures not long after had gotten Rachel. Aria didn't look a little like Rachel, she looked a lot like Rachel. Only her eyes were a lighter shade of brown. Eyes the tiny girl had gotten from Parker. But, even the shape of her eyes mimicked Rachel's.

"Yes. I have noticed."

"I was singing to Aria. She asked me too. I was being quiet. I know that I am not allowed to sing, but I was being really quiet and Aria liked it. Then Melody came in and told me to shut up and then she said all of those horrid things and Aria ran to the corner and pulled her knees against herself and cried. I used to be that little kid in the corner." Rachel said quietly.

"You had a flashback." Shelby said, suddenly realized what had happened.

"No. I was just remembering. I didn't want Aria to feel the way I did when I was little."

Shelby didn't bother to tell Rachel that she had, indeed, had a flashback.

Shelby pulled into the driveway and parked the car, turning it off. She turned to Rachel and just looked at her for a few moments.

"I understand what happened, Rachel. But, Princess, you cannot fight. It solves nothing. Okay? Next time, if that ever happens again, pick up Aria and go talk to Weazy. Okay?"

Rachel nodded then said, "Yea ma'am. I will talk to Aunt Weazy next time."

Shelby nodded, though she was not sure if Rachel sounded convinced.

"Come on. It is late. It is time for you to get ready for bed. You get ready for bed and we will talk a bit before you go to sleep."

The two of them climbed out of the car and made their way into the house. Both of them were tired.

And, it was only Monday.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left**

Rachel was lying on her stomach in bed, her Rabbit already tucked underneath her, when Shelby came in and crawled into bed beside her.

"Tell me why you think you are not allowed to sing at Aunt Kate's, Rachel."

Shelby watched as Rachel flinched.

"They said that I couldn't. I didn't want to get into trouble."

"Who said that you couldn't, Rach?"

"My fathers."

That was what Shelby had figured.

"Rachel, want to know something, Princess?"

Rachel nodded. It was times like these that Shelby saw her little girl, a child. Not the fifteen year old girl who was so often defiant at times.

"Everything that your fathers told you, princess, every single thing, you can forget. You can sing to Aria whenever you want. You can sing to her whenever she asks if you want too. You can sing to me if you want me to listen. You don't have to be the little girl crying in the corner anymore, baby."

Rachel scooted under her blankets closer to her mother.

"Did Aunt Weazy ever put you in the corner?" Rachel asked, taking her mother's hand in hers so that she could play with the ring on her finger.

Shelby laughed softly.

"Yes. I spent a lot of time in the corner growing up. Aunt Weazy likes to use the corner so that she can calm down before she talks to you. Today she had to get you and Melody separated."

"I didn't like it."

"I am sure that you didn't. You understand that she can put you in the corner and why, don't you, Rach?"

"Yea. I understand it."

"And you understand that you can't fight?"

"Yea, but didn't you ever fight?"

Shelby just looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. That was not something that she was going to answer.

"Nice try, Princess. No fighting. Got it?"

Rachel sighed.

"Yes ma'am, I got it. Will you read to….nevermind." Rachel said, and scooted down farther in her blankets.

"Do you want me to read to you, Rach?"

"We finished Harry Potter the other night." Rachel said sadly.

Shelby bent down and kissed Rachel's head lightly.

"I will be right back."

Rachel nodded and burrowed herself even more.

Shelby came in and sat back on the bed. Rachel's eyes were closed, but her left hand immediately started searching for her mother's hand.

"_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets…_"

Rachel's eyes shot open and she looked at the book in her mother's hand and a wide smile graced her lips.

She let go of her mother's hand, and instead wrapped it around her mother's stomach.

Her mama had to be able to hold the book after all.

* * *

**AN: Comments? Thoughts?**

**This was updated much sooner than I thought it would be. It will be sometime next week or so when I update again...I actually can't pinpoint a day because I have a lot of stuff to do starting tomorrow...(later today I suppose)...**

**I would love to hear from people and know their thoughts on this chapter and past chapters. **

**Thanks:)**


	19. The Mercedes Smack Down

**Chapter Nineteen: The Mercedes Smack Down**

Rachel was happy when she got out of the car and walked into school on Tuesday morning. Melody and Rachel had both apologized to one another, though not necessarily by any choice of their own, but Kate knew it would be a while before the girls were on good terms again. She had told Shelby that morning that the two girls reminded her of fighting siblings.

But, Shelby knew that, while that might be true, it went deeper than that for Rachel. Rachel had fought one sister to protect another, smaller sister. All because Aria reminded Rachel of herself, and in a way, it had been the first time that Rachel had been able to protect herself.

Shelby had silently wondered for hours the night before that, if Melody looked more like Rachel, if the teen would a have been so ready to fight when the two had gotten into their argument. But Melody didn't look like Rachel. She had light brown, nearly blonde hair that matched her father and the green eyes of her mother. At the same time, Shelby wondered why Aria's actions had really set Rachel off. What had those men done to her baby? She didn't know if she would ever find out, but she did know that it was something she _needed _to know. Why was the corner significant in the situation? Did Shelby need to rethink putting Rachel in the corner?

Shelby had thought about it all the night before, and had decided to play everything out. Rachel had not seemed to affected by the corner time the previous evening, so Shelby was going to play it by ear. Perhaps she wouldn't ever have to Rachel in the corner again.

At school Rachel just knew that today was going to be a good day. Yesterday had been a good day until she and Melody had gotten into their fight, so why should today be any different? Rachel really needed a good day to offset the crap days she seemed to be having a lot of recently.

She met Puck in the auditorium for a few minutes of making out, though she did tell him that she couldn't skip any classes today since she had skipped one the day before. Plus, Santana's warning about not telling her mother that her skipping class was a consequence for her not letting Puck come over was fresh in her mind. She didn't need to give her mother anything else to angry about.

And, everything was good until she went into class and Mercedes was sitting in the room.

Rachel had so hoped that the girl would not be there today.

"If it isn't the little turncoat." Mercedes said the moment that she noticed Rachel.

Rachel ignored her.

In fact, Rachel ignored the girl as much as she could all morning because she truly did not want to even talk to the other girl.

Rachel ignored Mercedes, that is, until she was walking to her fourth period class, a class she had with Puck, Santana, and Quinn. She went and grabbed her book out of her locker and started to walk towards the class so that she could talk to Puck before class actually started.

That was her goal.

Until her path was blocked when Mercedes stepped in front of her and refused to move.

"Excuse me." Rachel said and tried to walk past her.

Mercedes grabbed her arm and pushed her back though, causing Rachel to drop her book on the floor.

"Listen here, you little bitchy dwarf, I heard that Mr. Shue was making the set lists for Regionals. You better not even think about trying to get the solo. Everyone knows that your tacky ass mommy is just waiting around for that so that she can steal it."

"Mercedes, you are so ignorant! My mom's group doesn't even go against us at Regionals. Now move out of my way!" Rachel said loudly as she tried to push past Mercedes.

"Oh no the hell you didn't! You ever lay in bed at night, the bed your mommy wishes she had never given you, and wonder why your fathers hated your obnoxious ass? Because you know it, don't you? You know that your fathers hated you. They told you so, didn't they? They told you how worthless that you are while you cried and tried to convince them that you weren't. But, Berry, everyone knows it. Everyone knows that you are unlovable and no one wants you…"

Rachel listened. She listened as the words washed over her. As they sank into her mind and she heard something completely different. Different words. A different time.

…_You are a worthless child! You want your mommy? Well, she didn't want you! She gave you up! I wish every damn day that your father and I would have made her keep you! You are such worthless child, always wanting more…_

"Shut up." Rachel said. She said it low. It was deadly quiet in the hallway suddenly.

"What did you just say to me, Berry?" Mercedes boomed. She had truly never been a fan of Rachel's, but she just knew that she was going to high tail it to her mother when things didn't go her way and probably end up over at Caramel. The fact that even her fathers had been unable to love her only helped fuel Mercedes' fire.

Rachel's eyes moved up to Mercedes eyes.

And all Rachel saw was hate. Such a familiar hate and, even though she had seen it before, Rachel still did not understand it. Rachel did not understand it at all.

But, she did understand something. Something new.

She could stand up for herself.

"Shut up, Mercedes. You just… Shut. The. Hell. Up."

Rachel heard someone yelling in the background, but she couldn't process what was being said around her. She was focused only on the hateful girl in front of her.

"Who the hell…" Mercedes started.

But she was cut off when Rachel threw the book she had been holding on the ground and pulled her fist back and smashed it into the face of Mercedes Jones as hard as she could.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left**

Santana was talking to Quinn when she heard someone yell, "Fight!"

Santana, at first, was not too worried about it as she walked closer to the fight.

Until she saw who it was.

"Quinn…is that who I think it is?"

"Holy shit, San! Berry just hit Mercedes!"

"That is why your mother doesn't love you, bitch! Your mother knows you are unlovable just like your fathers did." Mercedes yelled. She knew people were watching. She wanted people to hear what she had to say.

"Oh hell no! I am fixing to go all Lima Heights on that bitch's face!"

Quinn watched as if everything was in slow motion as Santana threw down her stuff. It landed near another book and close to a bag that had to be Rachel's.

Quinn suddenly realized that she was going to be in this fight too. Because when Santana let loose, Rachel needed to be out of the way.

Quinn dropped her own things and then ran forward, and was just able to pass Santana and grab Rachel around the waist and pull her backwards despite the girl still swinging her fists.

Quinn pulled her back and watched as the fight in front of her reached a completely different level.

Quinn, despite having a death grip on Rachel who was still wiggling and trying to get at Mercedes, let a smile spread over her face as Santana did one of the things Santana did best: protected her friends.

Rachel might not realize it yet, but she was officially one of Santana's friends.

She was definitely growing on Quinn as well.

Quinn didn't pull just anyone out of Santana's way.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left**

Rachel sat between Quinn and Santana in the office outside of the principal's office nearly two hours later. They were mighty pleased with themselves. Rachel had a bruised cheekbone, but, to the surprise of Santana and Quinn, that was really the extent to her injuries. The nurse had given her an ice pack, but she had long ago set that to the side.

Santana had a cut above her eye that the nurse had cleaned up as well, but Mercedes had gotten the brunt of the injuries.

Mercedes was sitting on the other side of the office, behind another door, with a swollen eye and possibly a broken nose. The eye was courtesy of Rachel, the only good punch she had gotten in, and the nose was courtesy of Santana who always aimed for the nose in a fight.

Rachel was definitely proud to say that she had given Mercedes the swollen eye.

"We should all have a sleepover." Quinn suddenly said. She hadn't been fighting, but apparently Principal Figgins didn't care since she had been the one to hold Rachel back.

Santana and Rachel turned towards Quinn.

"Really?" Rachel asked, "You would want to have a sleep over with me?"

"Sure. I mean, seriously, Berry, do you think I would just pull anyone out of the way so that Santana didn't hit them when she let loose?"

Rachel thought about it.

"Probably not."

"Exactly. Berry, we are so friends now. I think we became friends the other day at your house." Quinn said quietly. She was still ashamed of the way she had treated Rachel in the past and knew that she would more than likely have to make up for that by showing Rachel that she really could be a good, true friend.

"Yea, Berry, after my mom gets done kicking my ass, we can have a sleepover at my house. Quinn lives there anyways." Santana said. She knew she was in trouble. But, she didn't care. She was not going to let Mercedes talk to or about Rachel like she had been. Not anymore. Rachel was already so afraid that her mother didn't love her, that she didn't need someone constantly telling her that. While Santana didn't understand what it was like to think she was unloved, she knew that Rachel was probably already letting the putrid words Mercedes had uttered float around in her thoughts.

"Can I ask you guys a favor though?" Rachel suddenly asked, refusing to look at either of them in the eye.

Both girls looked at her and nodded.

"Please stop calling me 'Berry'. I…I don't like it." Rachel blushed. It was the only thing that still connected her to her fathers. At least, that was how Rachel looked at it.

"Damn. Sorry…Rachel." Santana said. She was going to have to come up with another nickname now.

"Yea, sorry, Rach." Quinn added. She understood that. She hated her last name as well. For very similar reasons.

"I will totally have to come up with a good nickname for you." Santana said, thinking to herself, but talking out loud.

Rachel didn't say anything. She just hoped that it was a decent one.

"So, a sleepover? I have never had a sleepover before." Rachel said randomly.

Quinn and Santana both grimaced. Both of them silently wishing that they could have seen the real Rachel before now. Before she had been dropped off like an unwanted puppy at her mother's house.

"Yea, we will go all out, Rachel. Movies, snacks, the whole nine yards." Santana said.

"You'll have to talk to my mom." Rachel said.

Santana raised an eyebrow at Rachel.

"Why?"

"Because I am allergic to a lot…" Rachel stopped when she heard a familiar sound.

"Oh no." Rachel said, sinking down in her seat. She knew that click. She was used to that click.

"What is it, Rachel?" Quinn asked, confused.

The door to the office opened just as Rachel whispered, "My mom."

Rachel wasn't quite sure what to think. She had never had a parent called to the school for misbehaving.

Shelby Corcoran had been called out of class to answer an emergency phone call in the office at Caramel.

She had not been happy at all to hear that her daughter had been fighting in school, especially after what had happened the night before. They had just talked about fighting, damnit! Why on earth would Rachel go and get into a fight the very next day?

On the hour and a half drive, Shelby had made a few decisions about her daughter. It was obvious that Rachel did not heed warnings, so from now on, there would have to be a punishment for all offenses. If Shelby thought that, later, Rachel learned to listen and obey the rules, perhaps she could go back to warnings at first. But so far, Rachel had broken the rules even after a warning. She and Rachel had to have yet another talk about her misbehavior.

"Well, hello, princess. Fancy meeting you here." Shelby said a tad bit sarcastically as she signed her name in at the secretary's desk as a visitor.

Rachel tried to smile as she looked up at her mother.

"Hi, Mama. Santana and Quinn invited me to a sleepover."

Shelby's eyes pierced into Rachel.

Santana slapped her hands against her face. Seriously? Rachel had thought that was a good thing to say in a moment like this? Really? She needed to have a long talk with the girl. An 'I'm sorry' would have been the more appropriate thing to tell her mother.

Quinn turned and looked at Rachel. What was she thinking? She was sitting in the office for fighting and she was going to ask her mom to go to a sleepover?

Rachel Berry was crazy!

"Princess, there will be no sleepovers in your immediate future. Now, sit out here and behave while I speak to your principal." Shelby said as she walked into the other office.

Santana and Quinn turned to stare at Rachel.

"What?" Rachel asked.

Both of the other girls shook their heads.

"We have to work on your filter, _Princess_. Else, you are going to get us in trouble eventually because you tell on yourself too much."

Rachel merely blushed.

She had two friends. Even if her mom was mad at her, she was happy.

Happier than she had ever been.

"Shit. My mom is coming now." Santana said, sinking in her own seat. Rachel looked towards the door.

Sure enough, though Rachel was not sure how Santana had known that her mother was coming, Mrs. Lopez walked into the outer office.

Rachel watched Maribel Lopez. The woman looked at Quinn first because Quinn was closest. She studied her for a good thirty seconds with a raised eyebrow, but Quinn never looked up at her.

Santana was different, Rachel noticed. Almost like she was proud of herself and wanted her mother to know it.

"Do any of you have a good explanation for this fight?" Maribel finally asked.

Rachel wondered if she was one of the 'any' Mrs. Lopez was referring too.

She decided she was, and nodded.

Maribel bit back a smile and looked at the short girl sitting between Santana and Quinn. Maribel was even a little surprised that the girl was willing to tell her anything. Her two were both chickens when it came down to it.

"Yes, Rachel? And what might that explanation be?"

"They were helping me. That is what friends do. We are friends now, and if you don't have your friends' backs, then your friendship doesn't matter." Rachel said, staring at the older woman.

It wasn't until after Rachel finished talking that she realized that Mrs. Lopez was a bit intimidating.

Rachel immediately shrunk back into her seat.

"You are a good girl, Rachel." Mrs. Lopez said, and then walked into the office where Shelby was standing.

Rachel looked at Santana.

"What did that mean, Santana?"

"Hell if I know, Princess. I bet she doesn't tell me that I am a good girl when she gets finished talking to Figgins."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Apparently, Santana had picked out her new nickname, choosing to mimic Rachel's mother.

"I didn't even fight and Mauri is probably going to be upset with me when she is finished talking to Figgins." Quinn said quietly. She couldn't afford to mess up right now. She had only just been kicked out of her parents' home. She didn't have anywhere else to go. Her sister was the only other person in the world she would want to live with, and her sister had been gone for years with no word.

"I will tell her that you only held me back. I am pretty sure that my mom is not going to be happy with me either. She just told me no fighting yesterday."

Santana looked at Rachel.

"Why would she randomly tell you that?"

"Oh, it wasn't random. My cousin Melody and I got into a fight before Mama picked me up from Aunt Weazy's house."

Santana's eyes widened.

"You got balls, Princess. Your mother is going to murder you! Two fights in two days…"

That made Rachel nervous. What if her mother was angry enough to kick her out? What if…

"Santana, shut up. The Princess's mother isn't going to kill her. She is probably going to be grounded forever, but so are you. Hell, depending on what Figgins says, Mauri might ground me too!"

That made Rachel feel a little bit better. Groundings weren't too bad. Maybe her mother wouldn't decide to do something worse.

Like kick her out of the house. Quinn had been kicked out of her house…was that why? Somehow, Rachel doubted it.

Though a grounding might not be too bad, Rachel realize that last time she had been sick for most of it and her mother had let her watch television. She had said that next time she wouldn't be able to watch television.

There was also the fact that Shelby hadn't punished her for fighting the night before. Maybe it would be okay. Sure, her mom had told her that she was not allowed to fight, but Mercedes had deserved it. Mercedes' words had been hurtful, and she had finally had enough.

Rachel was deep in thought when Maribel and Shelby came out of the office, neither of them looking particularly happy, and then stood in front of the three girls.

Rachel looked over at Santana and whispered, "Is now still a bad time to ask about a sleepover?"

Santana rolled her eyes.

"Yes." She hissed.

Maribel and Shelby looked at each other, amusement then dancing in their eyes.

"You girls sit right here. Shelby and I need to have a chat before we take you home.

The three girls nodded.

As soon as the door shut, Santana sat up.

"Princess, seriously, you have got to go buy a filter for your mouth."

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left**

Maribel and Shelby barely had the door shut before they both began laughing softly.

"Shelby, your girl will say anything."

Shelby laughed a little more.

"Believe me, I know. The first thing she said to me when I walked in was that Santana and Quinn invited her to a sleepover. I thought Santana was going to pass out right then."

Maribel shook her head.

"She is more than welcome to our home after she and Santana are finished being punished, Shelby."

"I am sure that she would have fun, but there are definitely some things you and I would have to talk about first." Shelby said quickly, as well as a bit nervously since the thought of her child spending the night away from her was a new concept to her.

Maribel noticed the look of a nervous, first time mother. It didn't matter that her daughter was fifteen. The first sleepover was always hard. It had been hard on Maribel. It had also been hard on Santana because Maribel had had to get up at one in the morning and go pick her nine year old up from her first sleepover, though Santana would die of embarrassment if that little tidbit got around.

"Of course." Maribel told Shelby. Shelby realized that Maribel probably thought she was nuts.

"It isn't that I don't trust you or anything. Rachel is highly allergic to some things, and she doesn't always know whether she can eat something or not. Side effect of her fathers, I am afraid. I give her all of the food she eats. She won't pick out anything for herself except for a salad with a vinegar and oil dressing, and she doesn't even like it." Shelby said in a low tone, though never took her eyes away from Maribel's.

Maribel nodded sadly.

"Then I would definitely want to talk to you about it before Rachel came over."

Shelby nodded this time.

"Why did Figgins make Quinn come to the office if she wasn't fighting? According to him, she was just holding Rachel back. I am not even angry with Rachel about the fight, though I am a little upset that she skipped a class yesterday. I know that I can't exactly tell her that I am glad she stood up for herself because to her that would mean going and getting into another fight, but I truly don't want to overdo a punishment for her because she was standing up for herself."

"Because Figgins is an idiot. But, I am glad all the same. I am just going to take both girls with me anyways. My husband and I were in the lawyer's office when I was called. I need to talk to Quinn."

"How did that go?"

Maribel smiled a sad smile.

"I went and talked to Judy yesterday. They already knew that I had her. The rest of Quinn's things were in the yard waiting to be picked up. Judy walked out and told me that she and Russell would sign anything she needed to as long as she never had to see Quinn again. She wouldn't tell me why she kicked Quinn out, only that she was no longer her or Russell's daughter. Our lawyer drew up the papers today and called Judy and Russell. They were going to sign them this afternoon, and then a judge has to sign off on them. Quinn with be in our custody by Friday if all goes as planned."

"How is Quinn taking it? The whole situation is so much like Rachel's…and I still have a hard time understanding her or getting her to talk. Sometimes I can get her to say anything, and other times she acts like she is afraid that if she makes one wrong move, that I am going to leave her too."

"Shelby, the situations are similar, but they are still so different. Quinn has been coming around my home for years. She has practically lived there for years. Rachel was taking care of herself. It may take her longer. Don't get me wrong, though, I know that Quinn is still afraid. She still won't tell me why she was kicked out. I know she will eventually, but right now, she is just too afraid."

Shelby sighed and nodded.

"I knew that it wasn't going to be easy when I realized that Rachel had been left on my door step, but that doesn't make it any less hard. She is still so afraid at times and she just won't talk to me. She won't tell me her fears. She will talk if I can get her right before she falls asleep. She talks a lot more when she is tired or already upset. "

"I know. You and Rachel will get this all figured out. What are you going to do with her for the next three days since she is suspended?" Maribel asked.

"I am going to take her to work with me. I can't leave her home by herself. Not that she would be by herself. She would probably invite Noah over, and then get herself into more trouble."

"Well, if all else fails, she is welcome to come to my house during the day. I will put her and Santana to work."

Shelby smiled, but then frowned when she saw Will Shuester walking down the hallway. Maribel turned to see what Shelby was looking at.

Shelby took several steps forward.

"Mr. Shuester, could you please come over here for a moment? I would like to speak with you." Shelby said, her voice laced with authority.

It was her Coach Corcoran voice.

But at the moment, she was not Coach Corcoran. She was Rachel Barbra Berry's mother, and there were some things that she wanted to say to this man.

Will looked up and then froze. Shelby Corcoran made him nervous.

Will swallowed and walked over to the two women. Hell, they both made him nervous.

"Hello, Ms. Corcoran, Mrs. Lopez." Will said, finally putting a smile on his face.

"Mr. Shuester, I am going to cut to it quickly," Shelby's face was set in stone and quite serious, "I let it slide when I first heard about it because Rachel asked me too, but today my daughter was in a fight, a fight that started because you let your students control glee. Mercedes Jones has been harassing my daughter and you have sat and watched it happen. Yet, you called me to tell me that she stormed out of glee Friday…"

"Now wait! You told me to call me and tell you when she stormed out of glee!" Will interrupted.

Shelby's steely gaze hardened further.

She took a step forward, while Will took a step back.

"Yet you did not, Mr. Shuester, tell me _why _my daughter walked out of glee. She walked out of there because you were letting other students pick on her. She had finally had enough, just as she finally reached her limit today, and she left instead of doing something worse. You failed to tell me that, Mr. Shuester, and frankly, it makes me angry. My daughter has already gone through more than you can imagine and I refuse to allow her to go through more if she does not have too. So, the next time that Rachel is picked on and you know something about it and do nothing, realize that I will not sit by. I am not a parent who does nothing. My kid deserves better, and next time, I will take you to the school board. If that doesn't work, Mr. Shuester, understand that I know many, many people. One phone call is all that it would take. That is not a threat. It is a promise, now get the hell out of my sight!" Shelby hissed out angrily. She was not happy that her daughter had been picked on right in front of this man and he had done nothing.

Will only nodded and then hurriedly ran off.

Maribel stepped forward and placed a hand on Shelby's shoulder, and Shelby turned to face her.

Maribel smiled.

"He needed to hear that. He will forever be afraid of you." Maribel said quietly.

"I don't care if he is afraid of me. I want what is best for Rachel. Being picked on daily is doing nothing but hurting her. I do not know everything that has gone on in her life, but she has most definitely not been handling this teasing well at all. I know that there are other things that bother her too, but I know that we have to take it one step at a time." Shelby said, thinking about her daughter, her child.

"Well, Shelby, remember, if you ever need anything, let me know. I am also more than happy to keep her during her suspension as well."

"I will keep that in mind. I guess I better get Rachel and go. She and I need to go home and talk." Shelby finally said, knowing that Rachel had been made to sit in that office long enough.

"Yes. I have to talk to both of mine as well. It is going to be a long night." Maribel said, opening the door and motioning for both her girls to come on. Shelby did the same for Rachel, and Rachel walked out to her mother.

Rachel looked up at Shelby for a moment.

"Am I am in trouble?" she asked.

Shelby stared at her, a little bit amused because Rachel really did not have a filter at time and a little sad because she didn't know what was running through her daughter's mind.

There was no need to lie or soften it.

"Yes, you are in a bit of trouble. Now come on. We have a lot to talk about." Shelby said softly, but did put her arm across Rachel's shoulders to guide her out of the school.

Down the hallway, in the shadows, stood Sue Sylvester. She had watched as the Hobgoblin's mother had barked at Brilo Pad head.

Sue Sylvester prided herself on not liking many people.

But the Gremlin's mother had balls.

Sue respected her now.

It was only an added plus that Q-tip head was officially afraid of her.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel kept cutting her eyes over towards her mother. She could tell that she wasn't particularly happy. Her nostrils were flaring just a bit, and her lips were in a tight line.

"Mama?" Rachel finally braved. They had been driving for a good five minutes and the silence was really starting to get to her.

"You skipped a class again yesterday."

Well, Rachel had definitely not expected that.

"Yes ma'am." Rachel said quietly.

"Why?" Shelby asked her.

"To spend time with Noah since she wouldn't let him come over on Saturday." She wisely did not tell her mother that that was her consequence like she had told Santana.

Good thing, too, because what she did say pissed her mother off enough.

"Rachel Barbra! You were in trouble on Saturday, which is why Noah was not allowed to come over. That did not mean that you skip class Monday so that you can hang out. Did you leave campus?"

"No. We went to the auditorium." She decided not to tell her mother that they made out the entire time.

"Well, princess, let me tell you what. You are done skipping classes. You skip one more class, I am talking about one measly hour, and I will take off work and I will follow you to every single one of your classes and sit beside you. I am done with the class skipping, Rachel. I have warned you over and over again. Not only about that, but other things as well. So, from now on, there will be no warnings when you know you are doing something you are not supposed too. You will be automatically punished."

"That isn't fair! What if I don't know that I am doing something wrong?" Rachel asked quickly.

"I am not talking about that, Rachel. I am talking about the things that you do know are wrong. You knew better than to continue cursing at me on Saturday, yet you did it anyways. You knew better than to fight today, yet you did it anyways. You definitely knew better than to skip class because we have had that conversation more than once, Rachel." Shelby did not want to really throw the fighting in there, but she knew that if she didn't, Rachel might think that fighting was okay. It wasn't okay, not really.

"So…what are you going to do to me?" Rachel mumbled. She didn't like this. Not at all.

"You are grounded. No television, no electronics at all. You will have extra chores around the house and you will be going to bed each night at eight thirty."

"Eight thirty? Mama! That isn't fair!" Rachel said, tears forming in her eyes. Eight thirty? That was what time Aria went to bed!

"It is fair. Rachel, I cannot continue to let you break the rules."

"Is that for skipping class or fighting? Because I am not sorry I hit her. I was sticking up for myself."

Shelby almost slammed on her breaks, but she contained herself and instead continued driving down the road. She needed to get them home, and stopping every time that Rachel said something she didn't agree with would never get them home.

"You are grounded for two weeks, Princess. No electronics. No dance on Saturdays during the two weeks. No eating out. No inviting Noah over. You will go to bed at eight thirty every single night, and you will have more chores around the house. That is for skipping school and fighting. I understand that you were sticking up for yourself, Rach, but you did start the fight. I don't want you starting fights." Shelby hoped that that would be enough to stress the no fighting rule. She honestly was more concerned about Rachel skipping classes so much.

"Mama, that isn't fair! You didn't even ask what she said! She kept saying that you were going to realize that you didn't love me! She kept screaming at me, screaming that my fathers hated me and you would figure it out sooner or later and then you would get rid of me too! I couldn't take it any longer! If you hear things enough, you always start to believe them! I didn't want to believe those things!"

This time, Shelby did pull over to the side of the road. She turned to Rachel and moved her hand over to Rachel's arm.

"Don't believe a word she says, Rachel. I love you more than I love anyone in the entire world. You are my baby and I am never letting you go. Ever." Shelby leaned over and kissed Rachel's head. Shelby knew that it would take many more times of saying those words for Rachel to believe them, and even then, Shelby knew actions spoke louder than words. But she was never going to give her daughter up now that she had her. Never.

"Despite my love, though, princess, fighting is wrong. I realize that both last night and today you fought because of harsh words that were said. To Aria last night, and to you today. I know that it will be hard, but you have to ignore those words, okay? You cannot use your fists to fight your battles. I know that it felt good today to be able to hit her, but you are a better person than her, Princess. You have so much love in your heart while she carries around hate and self loathing for some reason that is really not apparent to us."

"Yes ma'am." Rachel whispered.

"You can also consider being suspended for three days part of the reason of your grounding. I cannot let you behave like this, Rachel. I will do what I must to ensure that you don't."

Rachel sighed.

"Yes ma'am. Two weeks though? Mama…"

"I can make it three." Shelby said, almost jokingly.

"No, no. Two is more than enough."

"That is what I thought."

"Well…are you still going to read to me some?" Rachel asked quietly. Tears were ready to fall depending on what her mother's answer was.

"That is something I will never take away from you, princess. I will always read to you at night if you want. Now or thirty years from now."

Shelby watched as Rachel sighed a sigh of relief.

"Are you taking off work tomorrow?" Rachel suddenly asked.

Shelby smirked.

"Oh no, Princess. You are going to work with Mama tomorrow. But don't worry. Mama will disappear the moment we get there. You get so spend the day with Coach Corcoran."

Rachel had a feeling that she would much rather spend the day with her mother.

She had a feeling that she would actually much rather go to her own school and sit through her own classes.

* * *

**AN: So, I wanted to say thanks for all the reviews. I would love to hear thoughts and comments from everyone. **

**There has been some questions of the pacing and timeline of this story. At this moment, Rachel has been with her mother for eight weeks, and it is the third week of February. There is a typo concerning dates in an earlier chapter than I have yet to fix, but I will eventually. If anyone has any questions about when something has happened, ask. I know exactly when each and every chapter takes place, down to the date. (Though, the year is not really important because I had to make December the 18****th**** a Saturday because that is how I set the story up. For example, today's chapter happened on February the 16****th****, which in this world is on a Tuesday. **

**Anyways, if anyone has any questions, I would love to hear them. **


	20. A Day With Coach Corcoran

**Chapter Twenty: A Day With Coach Corcoran**

By lunchtime the next day, Rachel was tired of being forced to follow her mother around at Caramel. Nothing she had said that morning had convinced her mother to let her stay home. Her mother was convinced that the moment she left, she would call Puck and have him stay the day with her all day.

Of course, Rachel thought, her mother was right. But, even she was smart enough not to tell her mother that.

One thing was certain though. She was so thankful that her mom had not made her enroll at Caramel and had let her stay at McKinley.

Because her mom as 'Coach Corcoran' or 'Ms. Corcoran' could only be described in one way: Bitch.

Even when her mom had been really angry with her at times since she had moved in with her, she had never seen her like she was at school. The kids were practically terrified of her! Though, in some ways, it was slightly funny to Rachel.

Rachel had to admit though, she could tell that her mom was respected. Students respected her. Other teachers respected her. She was no nonsense and her English classes were obviously first rate.

But, Rachel was bored. Her mom had made her bring all of her school books so that she could do homework, but Rachel didn't see the point in that when it wasn't going to count since she was suspended. Besides, she had good grades, and she wasn't worried about missing a few assignments. How did her mother think she got away with skipping her classes so much? Teachers didn't care as long as she did her work and got good grades.

She was just thankful that her mother had forgotten about her threat of not being able to go to Glee if she skipped class again.

Though, then again, maybe her mother did remember. It wasn't like she was going to get to go today. Or the rest of the week.

Then Rachel had gotten into trouble for disrupting her mother's class in the middle of an exam. She had gotten bored and started rifling through her mother's classroom desk. She had gone through her office desk when she had been at the school last time, and now she wanted to see what was in this one.

There were pictures on the desk…There was even one of Aria, Melody, and Rachel together at Melody's birthday several weeks before.

But, apparently, Rachel had gotten loud going through the drawers, because Shelby had stalked up to her, heels clicking, and had whispered, "You need to stop making so much noise. You are here as punishment, not to disrupt my class," and then had started walking around the classroom again.

Now, though, they were fixing to eat lunch and Rachel was thankful just to move around some. But, despite being happy to move around, Rachel was walking beside her mother as they made their way back to her office and she was pouting.

"Why can't we go get something to eat, Mama? You brought leftovers. I don't like leftovers." Rachel said. The night before they had eaten a pasta dish similar to the one Rachel had eaten the day her mother had taken her shopping before she had gotten sick several weeks before.

It has been good the night before, but Rachel didn't want to eat it again.

"Too bad. You are eating it because that is all I brought." Shelby said, not even looking down at her daughter. She made Rachel's lunch every day for school and she tried not to ever give her leftovers, but the times that she had, Rachel had not minded. Shelby knew that the girl just wanted to go out and eat. But, she was being punished, and part of that was not getting to go out and eat at all.

"But why? I told you this morning that I didn't want to eat that for lunch."

"Yet, it is what you will eat. Rachel, I do not make you eat anything that you do not like. But you like this. Yes, you ate it last night, but there is nothing wrong with eating it again today. I will make something different for supper tonight."

"But I don't want too!" Rachel whined as Shelby unlocked the door to her office.

"Coach Corcoran!" A random student yelled down the hallway. Shelby turned and looked as she took her keys out of the door. She handed the keys to Rachel.

"Go on in, Rachel. I will be right back." Shelby said, but missed the look of pure mischief on her daughter's face. Had she noticed it, she would have known better than to leave Rachel alone.

Rachel walked in the office and then shut the door behind her. She looked out the window at her mother and gave the lock on the door a quick turn and heard it click. She dropped the keys on her mother's desk and then reached into the tiny fridge that Shelby had behind her desk for the food she was not going to eat and one of the bottles of juice her mother had brought for her to drink throughout the day. She looked at her mom out of the window in the door again, and then snuck over to the other door in the office, the door that lead to the auditorium, opened it, and then went to a trash can that she had noticed the last time she was there. She quickly dumped the food in there, and then went back to her mom's office and locked the door behind her.

Rachel sat at the desk and looked inside the top drawer of her mother's desk and pulled out her mother's phone. She had watched Shelby drop the phone in there when they had been on Shelby's break.

She wanted to text Puck.

She took a long drink from her juice and then set the open bottle on the desk so that she could write out a quick message to her boyfriend.

The moment she sent it, she heard a knock. She looked up and noticed that it was her mother.

Her angry mother if the look in her eyes was anything to go by.

Her angry mother who had her hands on her hips now.

Rachel smiled and waved, then turned the chair around to face the other wall so that she could text Puck again, because he had just sent her a message. She knew her mother was not happy about being locked out of her office. But, she could ignore it if she didn't look at her again. She could pretend that she didn't know that her mother was locked out of the office.

Outside of the office, Shelby was fuming.

That little demon child of hers had locked her out of her office. Shelby was not going to knock again. She simply turned and walked down the hallway towards the office so that she could get the spare key.

She was definitely not happy with her princess though. Not happy at all. Her behavior was really starting to get to Shelby. She was trying everything that she knew to get Rachel to behave. It was like all of a sudden the girl just didn't care what Shelby thought, and it was frustrating.

Less than five minutes later, after explaining to the secretary that her keys were locked in her office, not a lie but not the whole truth either, Shelby was unlocking the door and then shut it firmly behind her, just short of actually slamming the door.

Rachel turned at the sound and then when she realized her mother was standing there with a key in her hand, she jumped up, knocking her bottle of juice over, spilling it all over the desk.

Rachel's eyes widened.

"Shit." Rachel whispered.

Shelby took a deep breath, turned around and pulled the blind on her window and then locked the door. She already knew that she was fixing to swat her child and then stick her in a corner, and she did not want anyone coming into her office while she was doing so. She wanted to discipline her child, not embarrass her in front of someone.

"Mama…"

"Save it, Rachel Barbra. Come here." Shelby said, her tone demanding and not soft at all. Rachel somehow knew that she had probably pushed her mother too far by locking her out of her office. Yes, that had probably not been the best choice. Why had she thought that was a good idea?

"How dare you, Rachel, even think about locking me out of my office? This is not a game, Princess. This is my place of work, not a playground." Shelby said in a steady, stern voice.

"I didn't know that I locked it…" Rachel tried weakly.

"Now is not the time for lies. Come. Here."

Rachel took a step backwards as the juice she had spilled started dripping off the desk. Rachel didn't want to go anywhere near her mother!

"No…" Rachel whispered, backing up again. She wasn't afraid her mother or anything, but why would she willingly walk over to her mom when the older woman's left hand was already getting ready to swat her? She could see it! She could see her left hand twitch.

Shelby took another deep breath. She looked at the other door in her office. The blind was already closed on it, and the door was locked. She was glad. She walked over and gently took Rachel's arm and pulled her towards the open area in front of her desk.

"Mama, no!" Rachel said, trying to pull away from her mother. She knew what was coming. She might not have learned much in the time that she had lived with her mother, but she was getting better at learning when a swat was coming.

But she was wrong.

One swat did not come.

Five swats did.

"Ow! I am sorry! I am sorry I locked you out and I am sorry that I threw our lunch away and I am sorry that I spilled my juice on your desk! Ow, Mama!" Rachel said as the fifth swat smacked her backside at a force much harder than the previous four.

"Go stand in that corner, Rachel." Shelby said, currently not offering Rachel any comfort after those swats. She would after she cleaned up the mess on her desk and found them something to eat for lunch. Rachel obviously did not realize that it was not always easy to find food for her because they had to be careful about what she ate.

Shelby looked up as Rachel was rubbing her backside.

"No rubbing. You deserve that sting." Shelby said, and then began mopping up the mess with a handful of paper towels.

"This isn't fair." Rachel sniffed.

"Hah! What is not fair, Rachel, is that you locked me out of my office and threw away our lunch. That was not just your lunch, Rachel, that was my lunch as well. Then you thought it would be okay to lie to me. That is not how this works, Rachel. Did you not think that you were already in enough trouble for skipping class and getting into a fight that got you suspended from school?"

"I am sorry." Rachel said, staring at her corner, feeling very sorry for herself in any case.

"You are going to be sorry if you don't straighten up." Shelby said, then went back to cleaning up the mess Rachel had made.

Rachel stood in the corner and sighed. She was also wondering what her mother would do if she pissed her off again. She was pretty sure that she didn't really want to know.

"I am serious. If you do not behave, I am adding two more weeks to your grounding, Rachel."

Shelby watched Rachel nod. But, deep down, Shelby wondered if she was going to have to find another way to punish her daughter in the future. It was obvious that groundings were not always going to work. Hell, they were barely working now. It was like Rachel didn't quite understand it.

Shelby sighed. What else could she possibly do? More chores? Maybe that would work.

Maybe she could keep Rachel and Noah apart. But there was still school. She had just taken dance away from her. Glee? Rachel was already not going to glee for another week after her suspension for skipping school, though Shelby realized that she had yet to tell Rachel that.

Shelby sighed again, a bit quietly this time.

Hopefully she would have time to think about it.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel had been really quiet the rest of the day. She had known that she had pushed her mother's limits at lunch, and hadn't wanted to make her any angrier. She had been forced to stand in that corner for a good twenty minutes before her mother had let her out, handing her two fruit bars and another bottle of juice.

Rachel had known not to complain. She also knew that it would be wise to not mention that she wished she hadn't thrown their lunch away, too. She was really hungry by the time she had gotten to eat those fruit bars.

Now Rachel was sitting in the auditorium, in the front row, listening to VA practice.

These were the people her mother thought weren't flat? Good grief.

"Mama, your lead is still flat." Rachel told her mother, who was a few feet from her.

Shelby didn't say anything, but she turned to glare at Rachel. The lead glared at her too, but he didn't dare say anything to Coach Corcoran's daughter.

The rest of VA just stared at the scene in front of them. That girl had guts, even if she was Coach Corcoran's daughter. No one was that insane!

Except apparently, Rachel Berry.

No one knew the story of Coach Corcoran's daughter, or how she had come to live with the infamous coach, and no one dared ask, but they were all intrigued with the girl who seemed to be completely unafraid of the feared coach.

Thirty minutes and several comments later, Rachel tugged on her mother's pants leg and Shelby looked up at the ceiling before turning to look down at her daughter. She was not used to having distractions while she was practicing.

"What, Rachel?"

"That girl in the third row, fourth in was off key."

Shelby heard a snort from behind her and a low "As if!"

"I can go up and demonstrate if you want me too, Mama." Rachel said with an innocent smile that she often wore, but one that her mother suddenly realized really was not all that innocent after all.

Rachel started walking up towards the stage. The VA students were just staring at her. Was she nuts? Coach Corcoran was going to kill her! One just didn't interrupt Coach Corcoran's practice.

Shelby grabbed the back of Rachel's shirt and gently pulled her backwards and then leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Rachel, go to my office. Now. Just…go."

Rachel sighed. She didn't push it though. She walked into the office and shut the door quietly behind her.

The last time she slammed a door, she had gotten swatted.

Shelby shook her head and rubbed her face with her hands.

She was fixing to have to call practice early because she knew that Rachel was going to get herself into more trouble if she didn't.

And when she got home, she was calling Maribel Lopez to see if she really would keep Rachel the last two days of her suspension.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The next morning, fifteen minutes before Shelby had to leave for work, Maribel arrived at her house to pick up Rachel. Shelby had called and talked to Maribel for a long time the previous night, and the woman had agreed to come pick Rachel up and then Shelby would pick Rachel up after she got off of work.

Though Rachel had tried to hide it, Shelby knew that Rachel was excited. She thought everything was going to be all fun and games at the Lopez house because she was going to get to spend the day with Santana, her new friend.

Shelby found it quite amusing that her daughter was going to be in for a rude awakening when Maribel put her too work.

Shelby had spent a while the night before making a list of ways to reach her at school, how to reach Kate since she would be closer, and everything that Rachel was allergic too, as well as the doctor Rachel saw in Lima. Shelby was actually kind of nervous about letting Rachel go with someone other than Kate for the first time. She was terrified of forgetting something that was vital.

Maribel was standing in the kitchen, amused at the scene in front of her. Santana had gone upstairs until it was time for them to leave, giving Maribel the chance to talk to Shelby.

"Shelby, dear, it is going to be okay. She is only going to be with me until about six thirty."

Shelby looked at her and smiled, blushing a tiny bit.

"I know. My sister is the only one who has kept her for any amount of time since I got her, and I am a bit nervous. Plus, her behavior as of late has not been the best, and I do not want her to misbehave while she is with you. Even yesterday it was like she didn't even realize that she was in trouble. I knew that I couldn't take her back to work with me. She locked me out of my office and threw our lunch away because she didn't want to eat it. Not to mention the times she disrupted my class and practice."

Maribel's eyes widened. That sweet little, barely five foot tall child could really be a handful, apparently. Much like her own five foot eight tall trouble maker.

"What did you do to her for that?" Maribel asked, curious.

"I swatted her and stood her in corner while I cleaned up the mess she made. What else is there to do? I took away all of her electronics, she is grounded and can't go to glee until she is no longer grounded, she can't see Noah. I have also been making her go to bed at eight thirty, much to her displeasure. I took dance away for the duration of her grounding as well."

Maribel just looked at Shelby for a few more moments.

"Shelby, groundings are not always going to work."

"It is obvious that grounding her doesn't work very well. She got in trouble for her language on Saturday, yet she is still letting those words slip into her speech. She has skipped more classes than I will ever know about, despite multiple warnings, and then she fought at school not even a day after getting into a fight with her cousin, though, I am still not particularly upset about that. She took up for herself. But, I can't tell her that or she will continue to get into fights and think that it is okay. It is like everything I tell her goes in one ear and out the other. I just don't know what else to do. I know that she is still adjusting…"

Maribel raised her hand to get Shelby to stop talking and then took a few steps closer to her so that she could talk quietly.

"Shelby, you are letting that little girl run all over you. You cannot keep letting the fact that she is adjusting to this situation be an excuse. She has been here for over two months. Adjusting can't be an excuse, and if she catches wind of you using that excuse, she will verbally begin to use it as well. She knows that all she is going to get is a grounding, Shelby, and she doesn't care. You told me that your sister raised you, what would your sister have done to you if you acted the way that Rachel has been?"

"She would have spanked the daylights out of me, but…"

Maribel raised her hand again.

"No buts, Shelby. Your baby girl needs to understand that she has to behave, and if it takes a spanking, then so be it. Believe me, Santana needs them often enough. Groundings don't always work on her. She is too hot headed and stubborn, and sometimes it takes a spanking. Shelby there is nothing wrong with spanking Rachel if she needs it."

"I don't know if I am ready." Shelby whispered. She was not use to the feeling of vulnerability. She was not use to it at all.

"I bet your sister wasn't ready the first time she had to spank you either, but she did. I wasn't ready for the first time I have to spank Santana. But I have always known I would have too eventually. Santana has had a temper since she was born, always wanting her way."

"Did you spank her for getting into that fight on Tuesday?" Shelby asked, suddenly curious. She had punished Rachel more for skipping class than anything else.

"No. I might have, but Quinn and Santana both told me what happened. One good thing about them both is that they won't lie to me when it matters. If they don't want to tell me, they just don't say anything. Santana told me that she couldn't let Mercedes Jones get away with the things that she was saying, and Quinn pulled Rachel out of the way so that Santana wouldn't accidently hit Rachel. I let her, both really, off with a warning this time. But if it happens again, I will not be so lenient."

"I didn't know what to do. Honestly. Apparently this Mercedes girl has been giving Rachel a really hard time."

"She has, but I think she got the message this time. I told Santana and Quinn both that if she messes with either them or Rachel, that she is to let me know and I will go to the school. Figgins is an idiot, but I will do what I need too to make sure that my children are not being bullied or bullying at school. I warned them both."

At the talk of her children, as in the plural, Shelby looked at Maribel for a moment before finally asking about Quinn.

"Did they sign the papers?" Shelby asked.

Maribel smiled, but it was a tight smile.

"Yes. They signed them. A judge is supposed to sign off on them today and Quinn will be mine and Santiago's daughter. It was all much simpler than I thought it would be, but with her parents so willing to give her up…it was easy. They did demand that she no longer carry the Fabray name though. We can change that with the next step, which is adoption."

"How is Quinn?" Shelby asked, knowing that her parents giving her away so easily was hard on her, even if they had been assholes. The icing on the cake was that they no longer wanted her to hold their surname.

"She is hurt. I talked to her for a long time last night. She cried for a while, but she told me that she would rather be with us. That she knows what to expect from us and we are not unpredictable. She says that she knows that we will always be there for her, but it will take time for her to truly understand and believe it. It helps that she has been around us for so long. It will take her time to get used to following all of the rules that we have for Santana though. Quinn is used to only following them when she knows that I am going to be around, but now she will be with me full time."

"Do you plan on spanking her when she needs it as well?" Shelby asked suddenly, trying to get inside the head of her new friend a little.

"I have spanked her in the past. She doesn't need it nearly as often as Santana though. They are two totally different children. But this summer, they snuck out of my house and came home dead drunk after letting someone else, a kid who was also drunk, drive them home. I spanked them both the next morning. They put their lives in danger and I will not tolerate that and neither will Santiago."

Shelby's eyes widened.

"My main rule is that Rachel not ride with anyone unless I give her permission to do so. She now has permission to ride with my sister and you." Shelby said quietly.

Maribel smiled gently.

"No worries, Shelby. She isn't going to ride with anyone while she is under my watch. Now, I imagine that you need to get going, and I have two girls to work hard. I have plans for them. I have several elderly neighbors who need their driveways and sidewalks cleared of snow, I have windows that need to be washed, dusting to be done, and I am sure if they somehow manage to finish everything, I will be able to find more for them to do."

"Make Rachel regret getting suspended for me. The Princess thinks that it is going to be fun at your house today because Santana will be there."

Maribel laughed.

"Don't worry. They will be too busy for any fun."

"Good. Oh, I have some of Rachel's milk you can take with you if you think you might need it. Like I said, dairy is her biggest no. I also have some snacks for her. She won't ask for a snack, more than likely, but if you ask if she wants a snack she will usually tell you if she does. And, today is a no meat day. Her body is still adjusting to meat, so we only try it twice a week. We are going to move to three times a week soon and…"

"Shelby, honey, I know. You have it all written down."

Shelby smiled at her sheepishly.

It was all going to be okay. She trusted Maribel.

"I am going to let you have her cell phone…if she wants to call me, please let her." Shelby said quietly, handing the device over.

Maribel smile again.

"Okay. I will. Now, stop worrying and go tell your baby bye." Maribel said, following Shelby up the stairs so that she could get the girls and they could leave at the same time as Shelby.

It was going to be an interesting day.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was exhausted. She had thought spending the day at Santana's house was going to be fun. She had even told Santana that. Santana had told her not to count on it.

Turns out, Santana had been right. As soon as Maribel had pulled into the driveway, the older woman had not even let them go into the house before she had taken Rachel's bag and then pointed to two snow shovels leaning against the garage and then pointed towards the house across the street.

"Mr. Elliot across the street needs his driveway shoveled. After him, Mr. and Mrs. Gregor, then the Hamish's, Wong's, and Baral's. You will work until I come and tell the two of you that you can break. Get to work."

Rachel had thought she had been kidding until Santana had grabbed her and pulled her towards the shovels.

"Princess, I know you well enough to know that you were just about to question my mom…don't. You heard what your mom said before we left. My mom will take full advantage of that if she thinks that it is necessary. I promise."

Oh yes, Rachel thought. Her mother had informed her that Maribel Lopez had her full permission to deal out corner time and swats if necessary.

Rachel had pouted for fifteen minutes after hearing that news.

Now it was nearly time for her mother to come get her, and she was literally ready fall out. It had taken all morning to clear those driveways and Mrs. Lopez had only given them two breaks to come in the house and warm up and use the bathroom. They finished right before lunch, when Mrs. Lopez fixed them soup and sandwiches, both of which Rachel looked over cautiously for several seconds before Maribel ensured her that there was nothing in either that she was allergic too. The sandwich was a simple ciabatta role stuffed with avocado, tomato, lettuce, and a roasted corn salsa. The soup was tomato basil. Rachel still smelled it and looked at it like she always did, but in the end she ate it and really enjoyed it.

After lunch, they had been made to wash the windows.

Every single window, inside and out.

"Santana, your mama is crazy." Rachel whispered as they cleaned the windows outside.

"You aren't telling me anything that I don't know. Yesterday she made me go clean my grandmother's house. From top to bottom!"

"My mom just made me go to Caramel. I locked her out of her office and told her that her singers were off key. She called your mom as soon as we go home."

Santana stopped spraying window cleaner on the window and turned to face Rachel.

"Rachel. You _locked_ your mother out of her office? You aren't brave! Your scrawny ass is insane! What did she do to you?"

Rachel's eyes widened.

"She swatted me and then stuck me in the stupid corner while she cleaned up the juice I accidently spilled all over her desk."

Santana gaped at her. She _wished _that her mother would _only _swat her and put her in the corner. She had been lucky this time, and only because she had been trying to protect Rachel.

"Seriously, you overrated hobbit, we have got to work on your 'do whatever the hell comes to mind' issues. Your mom is like…boss! You cannot do that shit. She is going to kill you!"

.

"Nah. I mean, what is she going to do? She grounds me and takes my electronics, but that isn't really that big a deal."

"She is going to spank your ass if you don't get right, Princess." Santana said, dead serious.

Rachel looked at her and shook her head.

"Yea, I don't think she will. She just swats and stuff."

"Mark my words, Princess, I bet she spanks you before Regionals."

Rachel just shook her head and went back to cleaning her window with that foretelling.

Now though, she was sitting on the couch beside Quinn, exhausted, waiting on her mother to pick her up.

She looked over at Quinn and in a serious whisper said: "You better watch out for Mrs. Lopez, Quinn. She is like…seriously into this punishment cleaning stuff."

Quinn laughed lightly.

"Don't I know it, Princess."

Rachel knew that her mom would be there soon, because she had called her earlier. She had asked Mrs. Lopez if she could call her mom to make sure she didn't forget to pick her up, and the older woman had handed over Rachel's own phone.

Rachel had smiled and then went into another room to call her mom. Santana had looked at her mother with a questioning look, and Maribel had gone over to her daughter and wrapped her arm around Santana.

"She still has a long way to go, mija. She is still very, very scared."

"Her mom won't leave her, though, will she?" Santana asked, showing a bit of vulnerability and uncertainty that she only showed her mother.

"No. Shelby Corcoran loves Rachel more than she loves anyone. She won't let that girl go."

Santana nodded.

"Good."

A knock at the door suddenly got Rachel's attention, and she was at the door before Maribel could even think about moving towards it.

"Mama!" Rachel said, as she opened the door, and then, without even thinking about it, wrapped her arms around her mother.

Shelby held her tight for several seconds before Rachel pulled away with a blush.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby had trouble keeping Rachel awake until eight thirty. She didn't know how Maribel had done it, but the woman had worn her princess out. Rachel had picked at her food, eating just enough to satisfy her mother, and then she had gone upstairs to take a shower.

Shelby made her way upstairs at eight fifteen, and was surprised to see her daughter already lying on her stomach with her blankets pulled up tight around her.

"Good night, princess." Shelby whispered, kissing her daughter's head.

"Good night, Mama. I think tomorrow that I will stay here. I really don't need a babysitter." Rachel mumbled sleepily.

Shelby laughed.

"Nice try, princess. Maribel will be here to get you in the morning."

Rachel sighed, but she was already too far gone to argue.

"K."

"Love you, princess."

"Love you."

Shelby pulled the blankets tighter around her shoulders, and Rachel was asleep before Shelby was out of the door.

She went downstairs, picking her phone up and hit her sister's number.

"_Hello._"

"Hey, Weazy. I need to talk to you." Shelby said.

Kate smiled on the other end. She was used to these phone calls.

"_Sure, Shelly, what is up?"_

"Maribel Lopez told me that she thinks that I might need to eventually spank Rachel if her behavior doesn't start improve." Shelby said quickly, trying to get it all out quickly. She hated showing all of her insecurities, even to her big sister who knew her better than anyone else in the world.

Kate wanted to laugh, but she knew that she couldn't. Not in this moment, because her baby girl sounded so nervous and insecure.

"_Baby girl, you might have too eventually. But, it will be okay if you do. She is testing you right now."_

"I just need…I guess I just wanted to know your thoughts about it." Shelby mumbled a bit.

"_You will know if it needs to happen, Shelly. In the moment that Rachel needs that type of discipline, I promise you will know it."_

"I hope so, Weazy."

"_Baby girl, don't worry. You will know. I knew. You will know as well."_

Shelby went to bed that night feeling better knowing that her sister promised her that if Rachel ever needed a firmer hand, that she would somehow just know it.

* * *

**AN: Chapter Twenty. A lot happened...What do you think might happen next? Not really any clues to go by, though, so I do not think that many people will guess. **

**Thoughts? Comments?**


	21. Interlude, A Look At The Lopez's

**Chapter Twenty-One: Interlude, A Look At The Lopez's**

After Rachel left their house that night, everyone in the Lopez house sat down at the table, ate a nice, peaceful dinner, and then went their own separate ways to unwind after the long day they had all just been through.

Quinn went upstairs to her room and sat on her bed, staring around the room at her things.

Everything was familiar. Even the room was familiar. How many nights had she spent in this room even before she had been kicked out of her parents' house because of being grounded by Mauri? It had to be more than hundred. How many school nights had she spent in this room? Many. Maribel never let the girls sleep in the same room if they were in trouble or on a school night.

Lucy Quinn Fabray had been sleeping off and on in this room for over ten years. She had been five the first time she had spent the night, seven by the time she was staying at least once a week, and ten before the days turned into weeks at a time.

She was ten when Frannie left her, all alone to live with their parents by herself. She had sought out solace at the Lopez home.

But, still, now everything was different. It was like her two lives had collided and become one. In reality, they had. Her parents hated her. Especially her father. He hated her so much. Quinn could not even begin to understand the amount of hate he held for her.

So much, in fact, that two days before her mother kicked her out of the house, he had hit her for the first time ever. She still had a large bruise that spread across the front of her ribs.

Even before that, though, she had known that he would never love her. He had spoken so many harsh words to her over the years that she was actually glad when his large fist had finally come crashing down on her. She had not fought back.

She had stood there and stared at him. Somehow she knew that it was the moment she had dared to tell him, "You don't scare me, Dad, You don't scare me at all. You are weak. Only a weak man would dare hit his daughter."

The next hit was the one that knocked Quinn's breath away. She had fallen to the ground, but had immediately gotten back up, even if it had been slowly and painfully.

She had glared at him again.

That time, he looked away first.

Two days later, her mother kicked her out. She had quickly packed a bag and then started walking.

And now, less than a week later, she was home. It was not her biological parents' home, but it was her home all the same. Mauri had been a better mother to her than her own mother ever had.

Yet, she was still extremely hurt. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her. On Tuesday they had signed custody of her over to Santiago and Maribel Lopez and told them that if they wanted to adopt her, have at it, as long as Quinn changed her name. At some point, Mauri had gone and picked her things up out of the front yard. Mauri had not told her that, but there had been grass clippings on some of her things.

Quinn felt a tear slide down her face. She leaned back and lifted her shirt up and over her head, lying only in her sports bra and pants so that she could gently rub her fingers across the bruise that spread over her ribcage. It was sore.

Still, though, Quinn would forever remember the look that had spread across her father's face when he realized that even his fists could not bring her completely down.

He had been enraged, yet uncertain. Uncertainty was not something that Russell Fabray was used to feeling.

Quinn knew that it had made her the better person. She would be a better person than her father and mother.

There was a knock at her door and then it slowly opened to reveal Maribel, who walked in and shut the door behind her and then walked to the bed, sitting near Quinn's head.

The mother reached her hands over and delicately wiped the tears away from Quinn's face.

"How are you feeling, Quinnie?" Maribel whispered as Quinn moved her head over to put in the older woman's lap. Maribel instantly began threading her fingers through Quinn's hair, something that she knew soothed the girl.

"Scared." Quinn whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it? Can you tell me what you are scared of, sweetheart?"

Quinn swallowed and reached up to pull one of Maribel's hands down to her ribcage because she knew that Maribel would rub the sore spots. She knew that Maribel would make her feel better.

Maribel gently rubbed the bruises on her Quinnie's stomach. Every time that she looked at them, she grew angry. They had taken pictures of the bruises. They had gone to the doctor, the girls' pediatrician and not Santiago at the ER. But Quinn had begged her and Santiago not to press charges against her father. To not tell anyone who had done it.

They could not promise that. They had told their lawyer, the same man who was responsible for the Lopez's getting quick custody of Quinn, and had given him the pictures. Those pictures were the reason that Russell and Judy Fabray had signed the petition for adoption and gave up all parental rights of Quinn to Maribel and Santiago so easily.

Russell Fabray was not allowed to come within five hundred yards of Quinn, or he would be arrested.

"Move up and put your head on your pillow, sweetheart." Maribel said, helping Quinn scoot up so that she could get a better look at the bruises. They were going away, but it was a slow process. Maribel had been rubbing them for Quinn every night since the past Saturday. No one would even know that the bruises were there had Maribel not accidently walked in on Quinn changing Saturday night. That night there had been plenty of tears.

"Can you tell me what you are scared of, sweetheart? You know that Russell cannot touch you again, right? He cannot even come near you. He has no control over you at all."

Quinn swallowed.

"I know. I am just afraid…I am afraid…" Quinn's voice hitched as Maribel's fingers continued to gently rubbed the bruise as only a mother could. With love. Tenderness.

"Go on."

"What if I do something really bad and you don't want me anymore either?" Quinn let out in a whisper that was so quiet, Maribel had almost missed it.

Maribel turned and stared into Quinn's eyes.

"We would never _not_ want you, Quinn. Never. Why would we want to go through with the adoption, with giving you our last name, if we did not want you, Quinnie? Santiago and I love you. Santana loves you. You have been a part of our family forever. We would never kick you out like Judy and Russell did, Quinn. Never."

"I am still scared." Whispered Quinn.

Maribel nodded.

"And that is okay. It is okay to be afraid, Quinnie. But, when you are afraid, I would much rather you come and talk to me or Santiago instead of bottling up all your emotions. It is okay to cry. It is okay to be angry or upset. Just always remember that we are here for you. We will be at every event, every holiday, every time you simply want us around…we will be there for you just like we are with Santana. If you and Santana are in two different places and need us at the same time, we will split up and one of us will come to you and the other will go to Santana. The point is, sweetheart, that we will always be around for you, now and always."

Quinn sat up and moved over towards Maribel and leaned against her.

"I will try to be good."

Maribel's heart wanted to break.

She turned her body towards Quinn and looked into those beautiful, hazel eyes.

"You are good, sweetheart. Even when you act up, you are still good. Quinnie, I want to ask you some questions. I need you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

Quinn nodded.

"Were you telling me the truth when you said that Russell only hit you the one time, last Thursday?"

"Yes, Mauri, I swear it."

"Okay, I believe you, sweetheart. I just wanted to make sure. I know that you were very scared last weekend, which is why I wanted to talk to you about some things tonight."

"Okay." Quinn said and leaned back into Maribel.

"Quinnie, you know that there may be times when you get into trouble, don't you? And that doesn't mean that you leave this house. This is your home now. Forever and always."

"I know. I mean, I know that in my head. I can't not worry about it though."

Maribel nodded. She knew that.

"I wanted to ask you about your father because, as you well know, you and Santana often get into things that you are not supposed too. Sometimes groundings work and sometimes they don't. Though, on you, more often than not, they work, there have been times in the past that I have felt that you needed to be spanked. I need to know whether or not you know the difference between what I do as discipline and what Russell did to you."

This was something that Maribel had been thinking about how to address all week.

Quinn looked up at Maribel in confusion as she thought about it for a minute. She couldn't even really compare the two in her mind. Russell was a bastard. Mauri loved her and only spanked her when she did something really bad, like the party over the summer when she and Santana had come home drunk, driven by a drunk driver. Santana had had spankings since then, but Quinn more or less stayed out of trouble, or a grounding worked.

"Mauri, you spank me…I mean, I don't really like it, but wouldn't it be weird if I did? You spank me on my bare butt, and when you are done, I know that you are going to hold me and talk to me about everything that I did wrong even as you tell me that you love me. My fath…Russell hit me last week because he wanted too. Because he thought it would give him power over me. I know that it is different. I hope that I don't do anything to get a spanking ever again because it sucks when I do because I hate disappointing you and Iago, but if I do, then at least I know that afterwards you still love me." Quinn explained as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I had to make sure that you understood, Quinnie. I want to do what is best for you and I never want you to fear me or Santiago. We love you. You are as much our daughter as Santana is. We have never needed a piece of paper to tell us that. That piece of paper that we will sign is only a technicality."

"You are my real mother. I have always known that." Quinn whispered, and then put her face down towards the floor so as not to have to look at Maribel.

Maribel was not having it though. She reached with her fingers to pull Quinn's chin up so that her eyes were looking into Quinn's.

"And you have always been my daughter. I. Love. You."

Quinn smiled and blushed.

"How are you ribs feeling?"

"They are still sore. I think they will be for a while. It helps when I rub them for a little bit."

Maribel moved her hand around Quinn and started gently massaging the bruises again.

"Mauri?"

"Yes?"

"I think you need to talk to San." Quinn suddenly said.

"And why is that?' Maribel asked as she continued moving over Quinn's skin with her fingers, though was very interested in what Quinn was saying.

"I think that she is confused. She doesn't understand what is going on with me and Rachel. She doesn't understand why our parents threw us out of our home. She doesn't know what it is like to have parents who hate you. I am glad that she doesn't, but right now it is confusing her, I think."

"Thank you for telling me that, Quinnie, I will talk to her as soon as we are done. Have you been bathing in hot water like Santiago told you?"

"Yea."

Maribel nodded.

"Can I go sit with Iago and watch television?" Quinn asked. Maribel's little massage was going to put her to sleep soon if she didn't move around and she didn't want to go to sleep yet because it was not her bedtime for nearly two hours.

Maribel knew this and smiled.

"Sure, sweetheart. Put a shirt on and then go down. I am going to talk to Santana. You have to go to bed in a little over an hour and half."

"Okay. Are you gonna…you know?"

Maribel held in her laugh.

"Yes, I will be in to tuck you in after I warn you three times that it is past your bedtime." Maribel laughed.

Quinn blushed but smiled all the same. She hated going to bed at night just as much as she hated getting up in the morning. She finally stood up, pulled her shirt back on, and went towards the stairs.

She believed everything that Maribel had just told her.

She just hoped that Maribel still felt the same way when she found out why she was kicked out of her parents' house to begin with.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Quinn walked downstairs and into the living room where Santiago Lopez was watching television. He was in his recliner, a chair that pretty much everyone knew not to sit in because it was _his_ chair.

Except Quinn. She had been stealing his chair since she was five years old and would only laugh when he pretended to be upset. Every single time.

Tonight, though, she did not want his chair. She wanted him.

He was the only father she had ever truly known just like Maribel was the only mother that she had ever known.

Quinn walked around the back of the chair and then to the side and climbed onto the arm. She then slid into Santiago's side and laid her head on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling, Quinnie? Ribs okay?" The doctor had been coming out in him a lot lately. He had been asking her how she felt more often. Quinn suspected that he felt badly about not realizing what was going on, though Quinn didn't quite understand that since Russell had only hit her the one time.

Still though, Santiago didn't like that he had missed it.

"Mauri rubbed them for me a bit ago. She probably will before bed, too, along with the heating pad and ice. She always makes me feel better."

Santiago patted Quinn's knee. He was so thankful that the girl was finally going to be in his and Maribel's custody. It was something that they had wanted for quite some time, but had never truly thought it would be possible.

"What are you watching?" Quinn asked, yawning, and then wrapping her arms around Santiago's left arm and snuggling closer into his side. Santiago was the only man that Quinn had ever really been around who she was able to easily trust. He had been there for her just like Mauri had been. He had cleaned up skinned knees and cured fevers just as Maribel had for her. They were equal people in her eyes, though, there were things that embarrassed her to talk to Santiago about.

Yes, there was no way that she wanted to talk to Santiago about her irregular period or sex or anything along those lines.

But she also knew that she could if she needed too.

"I am not sure. Is there something that you would like to watch, Quinnie?"

"I dunno. Mauri said I had to go to bed in an hour and a half."

"Indeed. You are practically asleep now." Santiago said with a smile that was not missed by Quinn.

"I have only ever had a bedtime here…and I almost always made it to school on time." Quinn explained, though she knew that it was a losing battle. She knew how this worked out. It was not a new discussion by any means.

"Quinnie, you know I am not about to revoke your bedtime. At least she isn't making you go to bed at nine like Santana." Santiago teased.

"San is grounded though." Quinn pouted a little.

Santiago just laughed.

"You will survive, Quinnie. Now, we have just enough time to watch a movie if it is not terribly long. So go pick something out and put it in."

Quinn smiled and then quickly got up and hunted for a DVD for the two of them to watch until it was her bedtime.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Maribel knocked lightly on the open door of Santana's room. She was not surprised to see her daughter half asleep on top of the blankets, but at least she was in her pajamas. She knew that Santana was tired. The poor girl had been cleaning all day for two days straight.

"Hey, baby." Maribel said, climbing in Santana's bed beside her. Santana immediately turned and curled into her mother, laying her head in her lap.

Maribel ran her fingers through Santana's hair just as she had Quinn's earlier. It soothed Santana just as it did Quinn.

"Are you tired, baby?"

"Yea. I bet Rachel is tired too." Santana mumbled.

Maribel smiled. Yes, she bet that Miss Rachel was, indeed, very tired.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I don't understand." Santana said quietly. She knew that her mother would know exactly what she was talking about.

"Quinn or Rachel?" Maribel asked. She knew that Santana didn't understand either of the girls' situations, but she also knew that having Santana talk about it might help her through her confusion and, what Maribel strongly suspected was a tad bit of guilt.

"Quinn is going to stay with us from now on, right? You aren't going to let her go back to them are you? I already feel like she is my sister, I have felt that way for a long time. I couldn't stand it if something were to happen to her."

"Quinn isn't going anywhere, Santana. Before long she will be a part of our family in every way. She will be a Lopez just as you and I are."

"Is she going to be okay? Her parents kicked her out. I don't think that I could handle it…"

"Santana, you would never _have _to handle it. Your father and I would never kick you out. Even if you were forty with eight kids living on the couch. We love you too much. We love Quinn just as much and will never kick her out either." Maribel rubbed soothing circles at Santana's hairline and watched as her daughter thought about everything.

"Rachel's dads didn't love her enough did they? They dropped her off at Ms. Corcoran's house with boxes of her things. Did you know that they even safety pinned a note to her sweater like she was a little kid?"

Maribel took a deep breath.

"No, baby, I didn't know that. Shelby has only talked to me about it a little bit. This situation was really hard on her too. She thought she was leaving her baby with loving men. Not the men who neglected Rachel daily."

"I feel really bad, Mom." Santana sniffed. Santana did not cry.

But, this was her mom. Her mom was not like other people. Her mom was….her mom.

"Why do you feel badly?" Maribel prompted, though she had an idea.

"We were so mean to Rachel before. Before I realized that she was just hiding her insecurities and fears behind her diva-ness. It probably doesn't help that she is a year younger than practically everyone in our grade. She can't drive yet. She didn't have any friends besides Puck, and her dads treated her like shit."

Maribel, out of habit, popped Santana's thigh.

"Language."

"Sorry." Santana whimpered. It was a show to just how tired the girl was that the swat made her nearly cry. Santana, bless her heart, was such a whiny thing when she was tired.

"You know what will make all of that okay, San?"

"What?"

"If you put the past behind you and be the best friend to Rachel you can be. Rachel has put parts of her past behind her. She has forgiven both you and Quinn for your parts in her discomfort. You need to do the same. Rachel is a good girl, Santana. She is just very lost right now. She needs to know that she has friends. She needs to know that she has a lot of things. That is not going to happen overnight. She is not like Quinnie. She didn't have another steady adult while she was growing up. It was her and Noah Puckerman. So it may take time, but you have to be willing to work for it. She is willing to do so for you, Santana. Are you willing to do that for her?"

Maribel used her thumb to wipe away a tear from Santana's cheek.

"I am willing to do whatever I have to in order to be her friend. I really like Rachel. I know that she was just really confused. I know that Quinn does, too. We like Rachel a lot."

"I am glad, Santana. Rachel is the kind of friend who will always be there. She knows what it is like not to have friends, so she will do everything she has to in order to keep the friends she has. She is lucky to have you and Quinn and her friends, but Santana, you and Quinn are even luckier to have her as a friend. Friends like that do not come along every single day."

"Yea. I know." Santana mumbled, and then burrowed herself closer to her mother.

Maribel smiled.

"Let's get you under the covers. It is already past your bedtime since you are grounded, and I know that you are tired."

Santana nodded, and barely helped as her mother pulled the blankets from under her body and then covered her up. Maribel kissed her daughter and then whispered, "I love you."

She walked to the doorway and shut the light off. She was shutting the door all but a crack when she heard Santana say, "I love you, too," in soft tones.

Maribel smiled and then looked at her watch. It was nearly time to get Quinn ready for bed. It was usually harder to get Quinn in bed than Santana, but at the same time, it was harder getting Quinn up in the morning too.

Maribel walked downstairs and smiled as she saw Quinn sitting beside Santiago in his chair.

Or, their chair, Maribel thought fondly. Quinn was forever stealing the chair from her husband, and when she didn't beat him to it, she sat with him.

Maribel smiled again when she noticed that Quinn was very close to sleep herself. She set her hand gently on Quinn's back and looked at the tired child in front of her. Santiago winked at her. He knew that it was hard to get Quinn into bed, even if she was nearly asleep.

"Come on, Quinnie. It is bed time."

"Five more minutes, Mauri. Please…" Quinn looked up at her with tired eyes and whined.

"No. Now. Come on, sweetheart."

"But, Mauri…" Quinn whined again. This time, Maribel gently took Quinn's upper arm and helped her up. Once she did so, Quinn leaned against her, so she wrapped her arms around her, patting her back for a few moments.

Then she turned Quinn around and patted her behind to get her moving up the stairs.

"I will be up in just a moment, Quinnie. You better be lying in bed when I get up there." Maribel said.

She heard Quinn sigh, but nothing else, so she smiled and looked at Santiago.

She moved around and sat on her husband's lap and kissed him on the lips.

"Did you get everything talked out up there, Love?" Santiago asked as he rubbed his wife's back.

"As much as possible for now. They are just trying to understand everything that is going on. Santana…she doesn't really understand it and you know how she is when she doesn't understand something. She is confused because she had two friends who are going through something so similar, yet it is something she has never even thought of. Quinn is adjusting as well as we had hoped. You know that though. She talks to you a lot."

"Yes. She told me that she was okay when you were talking to Santana. She did say that she is still a bit sore, but that you are helping her in that department."

"Yes. I can tell she is. She more or less asked me to rub the bruises earlier. They still look so badly. I don't even want to think about how hard he had to hit her to make those bruises."  
Maribel shuttered, and Santiago immediately kissed her cheek and then leaned his forehead against the side of her head.

"It is best not to think about it, Love."

She sighed and nodded.

"I need to go put her to bed. I think she wants me to rub those bruises again. Anything to make them stop hurting. I am going to try and put the hot and cold on them for a least a little bit. She wasn't as cooperative last night as she was the night before. She doesn't like that part much at all, though she tries."

Santiago nodded.

Soon, Maribel was headed back up the stairs with a cold pack. The heating pad was already in Quinn's room. She checked on Santana, who was fast asleep, and then into Quinn's room. She was lying on the bed in sleep shorts and a sports bra. She slept in this outfit nearly every night.

"Lay with me, Mauri." Quinn asked quietly.

Maribel smiled and laid down beside Quinn, moving her hand around so that she could start to rub the bruises again, hopefully helping Quinn fall asleep. Maribel turned the heating pad on and placed it near Quinn.

"I don't want those tonight. Please. I will let you do it tomorrow. I promise." Quinn whispered sleepily. Maribel nodded. Skipping one night would not hurt.

"I love you, Quinnie." Maribel whispered into the young girl's ear.

Quinn smiled, her eyes remaining closed.

"I love you too, Mauri. Thank you for being my real mom."

Maribel merely smiled, tears in glistening in her eyes.

She tightened her hold on Quinn with one arm and continued rubbing with the other until Quinn was fast asleep.

And then she continued watching for another thirty minutes. She checked on Santana one last time, and then, finally crawled in bed next to her husband for sleep as well.

She had never felt so thankful and fulfilled.

* * *

**AN: Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. **

**I realize that this chapter is quite different than what I normally write, but I think that it was very important to see the Lopez family and understand a little about what is going on over there. **

**mwoodscc: I do not mind your long reviews at all:) I look forward to them. I am really glad that you are enjoying the story:)**


	22. Riding into Trouble

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Riding into Trouble**

Rachel had never been so happy to be ungrounded. Not that she had been grounded a lot, but she was worn out in general. Her mother had taken a leaf out of Mrs. Lopez's book and over the weekend had forced her to shovel snow and clean until she had been ready to pass out from exhaustion.

Then, when she finally got to back to school, her mother made her clean inside the house after they got home.

Then, the weekend was the same again.

Her mother had even joked with her, telling her that maybe she needed an eight thirty bedtime all the time since she was falling asleep well before eight thirty most nights.

Rachel had barely been able to contain the fact that it was her _darling _mother's fault that she was so exhausted. She didn't want to be grounded longer for smarting off.

But, finally, it was the first Saturday in March, and she was no longer grounded. Her mom, in preparation for an invitational competition her team was competing in, was having a Saturday practice, and she had decided that Rachel could stay at home by herself since she would only be gone from about nine until two or so. Shelby made Rachel breakfast and lunch, setting the lunch in the fridge so that Rachel could heat it up later.

"Remember, Rachel, don't answer the door or have anyone over. Noah can come over tonight."

"Mama, I know." Rachel whined as she ate her breakfast. Shelby leaned over and kissed her daughter on the head.

"Rachel, behave. It also wouldn't hurt if you cleaned up your room. I have no idea how you manage to make such a mess when you have barely been in there for two weeks. I don't even know how you move around in there without breaking your neck. You don't want me to be the one to clean it." Shelby warned.

"Fine, Mama." Rachel said. In reality, though, there was no way that she was cleaning her room. It wasn't that dirty. Her mom didn't let her bring any food up into her room, and the one time she did and left her plate on her desk, her mom had lectured her for like an hour. She also seriously doubted that her mother would actually clean her room.

"Behave, call me if you need anything. Aunt Kate is at home, so if you need her for anything, call her."

"I know." Rachel yawned.

Why wouldn't her mother just leave? Geeze, what was with the third degree?

"Okay, Princess. I will see you at two."

Rachel nodded, and with that, her mother was out the door.

Rachel watched out the window from her seat at the table as her mother backed out the driveway.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

She watched as her mother put the car in drive and started forward, towards Caramel.

"_Hello?"_

"Okay, Noah, she is gone, you can come pick me up. I just have to be back by one thirty." Rachel said.

Let the fun begin.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel could not get enough of Puck. She was excited to finally get to have some one on one time with Noah, something that she had not really been able to do since her mother caught them sneaking down the trellis.

Now she was sitting on the console of his truck, hugging his right arm to her body as he drove them to a nearby park that her mother had told her about.

They didn't talk. They didn't need too. Puck was rubbing her left leg while she held onto his arm and he navigated the streets expertly.

They were going to the park, despite the snow, because Rachel didn't want to chance being too far away from home in case her mother called and said she was coming home early.

They had brought two blankets though, to layer on the cold, frozen ground.

"Oh, Noah, it is beautiful here." Rachel said as they stopped and got out of the truck, pulling the blankets with them so that they could lay them on the ground and sit on them while they made out. Neither of them was under any false notion that they were going to do anything other than talk and make out. It had been too long since they had been able to do either.

"Come on, Rach." Puck said, taking the blankets from her and then wrapping his free arm around her shoulders. He was just as excited to be spending the day with Rachel as Rachel was to be spending the day with him.

"Noah, there is a nice spot." Rachel said, pointing to a mess of trees that sat near a frozen creek. It would be hidden from anyone pulling up by Puck's truck. It would be practically hidden from anyone unless they were right on top of them.

They both trudged through the snow over to the trees, and then, together, they spread the blankets out, one over the other, and then sat down on them.

Puck was leaning against the closest tree, and Rachel sitting between his legs and was leaning into him.

"I have missed you so much." Rachel whispered.

"I have missed you too. The next time Mercedes messes with you, I swear that I am going to make her wish that she was never born."

"No, Noah. I don't want you to get into trouble because of her."

"I am not going to let her get you into trouble again. I haven't seen you in two weeks because of her."

"You see me at school."

"Yea, but I never see you alone. We barely get to talk or make out. Hell, your mom even took your phone until yesterday because of that bitch."

Rachel turned and sat on her knees and wrapped her arms around Puck's neck and kissed him soundly.

"You have me know. Let's not waste our time." Rachel said silkily.

Puck smiled and then laid Rachel back on the ground and began kissing her. Within minutes, they had a full out make out session going on, neither noticing the cold because they were too involved in one another.

Puck reached down and slid his hand under her shirt and rubbed her stomach, and Rachel sighed at the tingle that sent through her body. She loved when Noah touched her skin. It sent a wave of unfamiliar, but glorious feelings that she knew she wanted more of.

She wrapped one leg around his back, and ran her fingers over his head and neck, trying to pull him closer as his lips and tongue dominated her mouth.

Puck ran his hand lower, gently unbuttoning her jeans and slipping his hand down the front of her jeans, running his hands and finger lightly over the skin there.

Rachel let him for a few moments, then stopped kissing him.

"Noah, I am sorry…I..I am not ready yet. I just have to think about it some more. Maybe soon. Please don't be mad." Rachel whispered.

Puck took his hand out of the front of her pants and quickly adjusted his own tight pants a bit, but never let his eyes leave hers.

"Rachel Barbra, I will always wait for you. I could never be mad at you for asking me to wait. I don't want this until we are both ready."

Rachel smiled. She had the best boyfriend ever.

"I love you, Noah." She said as she wrapped her arms around her neck.

"I love you, too, baby."

Rachel felt at peace in that moment, as she continued to make out with her boyfriend in the snow, this time, her lips and tongue dominating his.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

At one thirty, Rachel and Puck were riding back towards her house so that they could beat her mother back home. They had moved from the snow back to the truck when they had gotten too cold to remain outside, and had talked a little bit more while the heat in the truck started to work.

Rachel was still hugged into her boyfriend's side, sitting on the console, when Puck got a text message. He was answering the message, and almost ran a red light until Rachel quickly told him to stop.

Then, not thirty seconds later, Rachel's phone rang. She sighed and looked down at her phone.

Aunt Kate.

"Hello?" Rachel asked.

"_Rachel, I need you to come to my house."_

Rachel swallowed.

"Um, Mama is at work, so I will have to wait until she gets home. What's the matter?"

"_Rachel Barbra, you would do well not to lie to me at the moment. I just saw you in the truck with Noah. I suggest that you put your seatbelt on and get your behind to my house. Now."_

Rachel was frozen. No, no, no.

Shit!

"_Do you understand me, Rachel? You'd do well to obey me. As soon as I get off this phone, I am calling your mother. I am positive that you do not want her to have to go looking for you. That will not bode well in her mind, I promise."_

Rachel took a deep breath.

"Yes ma'am." Rachel whispered.

She didn't say anything else. She didn't move over to the passenger seat either. Instead she held onto Puck's arm tighter and took his phone out of his hand and tossed it to the passenger seat.

"That was my aunt. You have to take me to her house. She saw us. She is calling my mom." Rachel whispered. Puck took a deep breath. They both knew that they had broken the rules today. They both knew that they had done something that they were not allowed to do, something they had been warned against several times in the past.

Quietly, they drove to Kate's house and parked behind Kate's vehicle.

"Kiss me before I go in. Who knows how long my mom is going to ground me this time." Rachel whispered. Puck immediately began kissing her, only for them to be interrupted by a sharp knock at the window.

Rachel looked up and rolled her eyes.

Her aunt looked pissed.

"Rachel Barbra, get out of this truck and into the house. Now. Your mother will be here in about five minutes, maybe less. She was almost home when I called her."

Rachel nodded, and then slid to the opposite door. She didn't want her aunt swatting her in front of her boyfriend. It wasn't even fair that her aunt had permission to do that.

"Noah, I suggest you leave before my sister gets here, as she is not particularly happy with either of you at the moment, and she doesn't even know about the fact that Rachel was not only in the truck with you without a seatbelt or you texting while you were driving. Just know that she will probably want to talk to you at length before you get to see Rachel again. Do you understand me?" Kate mini lectured. Puck sighed and nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, please leave before Shelby gets here. Shelby told me to tell you to text Rachel's phone when you got home so that she would know you got home safely."

Puck nodded again, as Ms. Corcoran always made him text her when he got home for some reason, and then looked at Rachel and smiled a tiny smile so that she would know that he was thinking of her and that he was sorry before he backed out of the driveway.

Kate turned to Rachel.

"Young lady, you have no idea how much trouble you are in!" Kate hissed.

Rachel's eye's narrowed.

"Trouble? What the crap? You had no right to treat Noah like that! Noah is a good guy!"

"You disobeyed your mother!"

At that moment, Shelby pulled into the driveway, her anger evident when she turned the car off and slammed the door shut.

Rachel never turned around. Rachel didn't even hear her mother.

"You aren't my mother though! And regardless, you didn't have any right to treat Noah like that! He would never do anything to hurt me! What were you even doing? Following us around?"

"Young lady, I would watch my tone if I were you. I was coming back from taking Melody to a friend's house when I watched as Noah nearly ran a red light because he was texting and you, young lady, were sitting on the console of his truck, a spot you were still sitting in despite me telling you to put your seatbelt on!"

"Rachel!" Shelby yelled after hearing what her sister said. Her anger was even more intense now than it was when she had gotten the phone call saying that Rachel had left home with Puck. Especially since Rachel had known that she was supposed to be at home, alone, cleaning her room.

Rachel spun around, just now realizing that her mother was there.

"Get in the house, Rachel." Shelby said. She was not going to do this in the middle of the yard.

"No! I don't want to be here. I want to go home." Home, in Rachel's mind, was a much better place to be because she could escape to her room.

Shelby walked up to her and grabbed her arm, marching her into the house. Shelby was not putting up with Rachel's attitude after everything else that had occurred today. Not after everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks.

"You should have thought about that before you broke my rules." Shelby said as she forced Rachel into the kitchen through a side door of Kate's house.

"Your rules are stupid!" Rachel yelled, trying to jerk away from her mother.

"Those rules are there for a reason, Rachel. They are there to keep you safe!" Shelby said, shaking Rachel gently.

"They are fucking stupid! It is stupid that I have to have my life dictated because people I don't even know were killed in a damn car wreck! That is not my fault and it isn't fair that I have to have rules because of it! It's fucking stupid!" Rachel yelled, her face turning red. She was so angry right now! None of this was fair!

Shelby's, however, turned ashen. The word's spewing from her daughter's mouth, though the fifteen year old probably did not realize it, hurt. They hurt a lot.

And, then Shelby just knew.

"Rachel," she started calmly, "I am sorry that you feel that way. However, it is my rule, a rule that you knowingly broke. You are still breaking rules by yelling at me and cursing at me. But that is okay, Rachel."

Rachel's head shot up. Okay? It was okay? Her mother had just been spouting off all the rules she had broken and it was…_okay_? Confusion was replacing Rachel's anger.

"It is okay, Rachel, because I have finally realized that you truly do not understand my rules and it is time that I make a lasting impression on you."

Rachel swallowed. What?

"What do you mean?" She whispered nervously.

"Princess, you have finally earned yourself a real spanking." Shelby said in a deadly serious tone, her face hard as stone while her insides were screaming that she really, truly, did not want to spank her daughter.

All Rachel could do was look at her mother and shake her head. This could not be happening.

This could not be happening at all.

"No…" Rachel said and tried to step back from her mother.

"Yes. Apologize to your aunt for your attitude and disrespect, and then go wait in the car. We are going home to finish this discussion."

Rachel nodded, not knowing what else to do. She turned towards Kate who was standing behind her, still not looking particularly happy with her.

"I am sorry, Aunt Weazy." Rachel whispered.

"You are forgiven, Rachel." Kate said, though Rachel could tell it might take another apology the next time she was with her aunt to erase the way she had acted.

Rachel then looked at her mother.

But all Shelby did was point towards the door.

Rachel walked outside. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel had never been this nervous in her entire life. Not even when she had first met her mother. Then she had just been scared. Now she was nervous. She was fixing to be spanked, and the concept was completely foreign territory to Rachel.

Her mother had not said anything to her except the moment they got home, and that had only been to tell Rachel to go to her room. That had made her nerves even worse. Why was she being forced to wait? Wasn't the idea of a spanking to get it over with?

It was only a little after two in the afternoon. Rachel was so confused right now. How had she gone from having such an amazing day to this? What did _this _even mean?

She was fifteen years old. Wasn't she too old? Sure, Santana said that her mother sometimes spanked her, but what happened to groundings? What happened to taking away her electronics?

Rachel paced around her room. For over an hour, she paced around, nearly hyperventilating at the mere thought that she was fixing to step into the vastly unknown.

Her mom was fixing to spank her. She didn't even know what that entailed!

Thirty minutes later, her door opened and Rachel stopped pacing and looked at her mother who was standing in the doorway.

"I am fixing dinner. I want you to shower and get ready for bed and then come downstairs."

Rachel looked over at the clock on her desk.

"It is only four." Rachel mumbled. That was what came out of her mouth? Rachel shook her head at her own stupidity. There were a lot of other, more important things she could have said.

"I am not going to argue with you, princess. We have a lot to discuss tonight, and I promise that you are not going to want to shower when we are done."

With that, Shelby left the room.

Rachel was just standing in the middle of the room.

This sucked. This sucked so badly. And why would she not want to shower afterwards?

Rachel went around her room and grabbed clothes for her shower. She grabbed a t-shirt and underwear. Normally that was all that she wore. But did she really _only _want to wear her panties when her mom spanked her?

She thought about a pair of thick lounge pants her mom had. They would be too big, but maybe they would soften the spanking that she was going to get at some point in the near future.

Rachel softly padded over to her mother's room and pulled out a drawer that she knew her mom kept her comfy clothes in because she had seen her mother put them in the drawer.

They weren't there. Rachel stood up and turned around.

They were on the floor. Her mother must have worn them the night before. Rachel thought it was kind of odd that the pants were on the floor because her mother was a stickler for things being clean.

Rachel shook her head at the thought. That didn't matter right now! She was debating on wearing the pants, and then she suddenly came to a conclusion. Rachel didn't care. She wanted to wear them. They would protect her posterior, and that was really important at the moment if the few swats she had gotten from her mother was anything to go on.

Rachel grabbed them up and carried them back into her bathroom with her.

She was still really nervous.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

When her daughter came downstairs after her shower, her head still slightly damp with a pair pants on several sizes too big, Shelby would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. If she didn't know that she was going to have to spank her child after supper.

Her darling princess was wearing her sleep pants, pants that she had worn to bed the night before, and Shelby knew exactly why her daughter had put those pants on.

They were thick, and the girl thought they would soften the spanking she was going to get after supper. Shelby was not going to mention it though. She would let the girl think that she had pulled one over on her for now.

Supper was set on the table and Rachel sat down, picking at the food on her plate. Shelby was not much better. Both knew what was coming, and neither of them truly felt mentally ready for it. Rachel didn't want it to come at all, Shelby knew that it had to be done regardless; else, Rachel was never going to learn. And, it was time that Rachel learned this lesson.

Twenty minutes later, Shelby had eaten all she could, and Rachel had eaten next to nothing, her plate a mess of food that had been mixed together as she had nervously moved her food around on her plate. Shelby stood up and took both her plate and Rachel's and set them in the sink. She would clean up the kitchen later.

She walked back over to the table and sat in front of Rachel. They needed to talk about this. They needed to talk about what Rachel had done wrong and they needed to talk about what the spanking Rachel was fixing to get entailed. As far as Shelby could tell, Rachel had never been spanked.

She was going to find out though.

Shelby took a deep breath. It was time to get this show on the road.

"Do you understand why you are going to get a spanking, Rachel?"

Rachel looked down at her hands and swallowed. She then nodded. All of the fire she had felt at Aunt Weazy's house was gone.

"Princess, I need a verbal answer. While we talk about this, you have to actually tell me what you are feeling and if you are confused. This is happening, one way or another, but I have to know what is going through your head at all times."

Rachel swallowed, trying to wet her suddenly parched throat. Shelby noticed and pushed Rachel's glass of apple juice closer to her so that Rachel could take a drink. Rachel drank nearly half of the glass before putting it back on the table.

"Yes ma'am. I understand. I was bad. I broke your rules even though I knew that you would be upset if I did. I didn't know though…I didn't think…" Rachel whispered.

"You were not bad. Your behavior was bad. You didn't think that you would get caught, nor did you think that you would get a spanking if you were. You have earned this spanking though, Rachel. Over the last three weeks you have not been on your best behavior. You finally added the one stone that tipped the scale."

"I am sorry though." Rachel said quietly, her eyes watering.

"I actually think that you are sorry, Rachel. I need to know, though, have you ever had a spanking? Has anyone ever spanked you?"

Rachel shook her head no, and then said, "No ma'am."

Shelby swallowed. She had thought about this all afternoon, and she knew the Rachel's answer to the next question she asked would determine whether or not she did follow through with this punishment.

"Rachel, has an adult ever hit you as punishment?"

Rachel looked up at her.

"Like who?"

Shelby really didn't want to ask because she didn't know how Rachel would react, but she needed to know.

"Your fathers. Did either of them ever hit you?"

It suddenly dawned on Rachel what her mother was asking her.

She shook her head and then said, "No. They never hit me. They never wanted to touch me."

"Has anyone else?"

"No."

"Okay. I needed to know that, Rachel. In a little bit, we are going to go up to your room, and I am going to put you over my lap and spank you. I want you to understand that you do not have to be completely still. You can squirm and cry all you want. I do not, however, want curse words to come out of your mouth, nor will you bite or hit or scratch. It is a spanking, Rachel, and the only thing that will happen is that my left hand will connect to your bottom, nowhere else. I will only ever use my hand on your bottom. Do you have any questions so far?"

Rachel shook her head. This was really happening. This was really, truly fixing to happen.

Shelby reached her hand over and placed it on top of Rachel's. Rachel finally looked up at her mother.

"After we are done, Rachel, I will comfort you for as long as you want me to. Just because you are being spanked does not mean that you stay in trouble. After you are spanked, it is all over. You will have a clean slate. If you want, I will hold you, hug you, read to you. I will comfort you anyway that you want afterwards. The only thing that I will not do is leave you alone until I know that you are okay. Do you understand?"

Rachel nodded. This was new though. Her mom was going to comfort her after her spanking? Not that Rachel really understood the logistics of a spanking.

"I'm scared." Rachel mumbled.

"I know you are. I can tell. But, it is all going to be okay. That I can promise. This is not the end of the world. It will happen and then it will be over and everything will be behind us, and hopefully, you will not make the same mistakes again so that we do not have to repeat this."

Rachel nodded as a tear dropped down her cheek.

"Do you have any questions?"

Rachel shook her head no.

Shelby nodded, "Okay, Princess. Go on up to your room. I will be up there shortly."

Rachel slowly got up and then walked out of the kitchen. Shelby continued to sit in her seat. She had sent Rachel to her room when they got home so that she could calm down. She had been so angry to learn that Rachel had broken the rules, yet again, by getting into Puck's truck. Then to learn that she had been sitting on the console while Puck was texting and driving and running red lights…that had nearly sent her over the edge because of the thoughts of what could have happened to her daughter and her boyfriend.

She had taken Rachel's phone the minute they had gotten home, and then about twenty minutes later, Puck had texted the device saying that he was home. Shelby was glad he had at least listened to her about that so she didn't have to worry about him.

Shelby had not been happy when they got home though, and while she had known that she was going to give her child her first spanking, a first for both of them, she also knew that she had to calm down first.

Now, however, she was not calming down. She was preparing herself. She didn't want to do this. She did not want to spank her child, her baby. But, just as both her sister and Maribel had said, sometimes it was just needed. Sometimes there was no other way with a child as hard headed and stubborn as Rachel.

Kate had been right, too. She had known when Kate called her and told her half of what had happened. She had known automatically that it was time for her to spank her daughter because nothing else she did was making Rachel obey the rules. The child was too use to doing as she pleased, but Rachel had to realize that she was, indeed, still a child.

Shelby finally took a deep breath and walked up the stairs and into Rachel's room where Rachel was sitting on the side of her bed, her feet propped up on the protruding medal frame at the bottom since she couldn't reach the floor.

Shelby went and sat beside Rachel.

"Come on, Rach, let's get this over with so that we can move past this." Shelby said gently.

Rachel looked up at her mother with big, sad eyes.

"Are you sure you can't just ground me? I promise that I won't do it again. I promise." Rachel said as tears filled her eyes.

"I am sorry, Rachel, but you have told me that you would follow these rules before. I have to make you realize the error of your actions, Rachel." Shelby then pulled her daughter over her lap, holding her in place with her right hand, and then using her left hand to pull the thick pants and Rachel's panties down right below her behind.

That surprised Rachel and she reached back to cover herself. This was completely not fair! Why was her mom taking her pants and panties down? This wasn't how a spanking worked, was it?

Shelby grabbed her hand and moved it out of the way.

"No reaching back, Princess. This spanking will be bare. Don't think I don't know what you were doing wearing these pants, but this spanking was always going to be bare. Don't reach back again."

Rachel sniffed, and with that, Shelby raised her hand and let it fall. For several moments, Shelby let her hand fall down on her daughter's backside. She knew, though, that Rachel was not thinking about what she had done wrong. She was trying too hard not to cry.

Shelby paused.

"Rachel, tell me why you are getting this spanking." She let a swat fall.

"For disobeying you for riding with Noah." Rachel sniffed. She didn't want to cry. Her mother said that she could, but she was being punished and she was sure that she probably shouldn't cry. Her fathers had told her once that crying was weak. It was why she never cried in front of anyone if she could help it.

Shelby swatted a few more times.

"What is going through your head, Princess."

Rachel sniffed again.

"Mama, I want to cry." Rachel whimpered. She did cry in front of Puck. He made her feel safe, even then.

She cried in front of Santana. But she had been afraid at the time. Afraid and upset.

She cried in front of her mother. But normally only when she was confused and felt lost.

Shelby's breath caught.

"Then cry, baby. You can cry all you want." Shelby wished that this spanking was over, but she had to teach Rachel a lesson. Shelby let her hand fall again, a bit harder than previously and on Rachel's sit spots, and Rachel suddenly kicked the baggy pants that belonged to her mother off onto the floor, and with another swat to the opposite sit spot, she finally started to cry.

Shelby was glad that Rachel finally let go and started to cry instead of holding it inside. The sound broke her heart, but she knew that Rachel was starting to understand that, not only was she wrong to disobey her mother, but that she was finally starting to realize that it was okay to be upset about getting a spanking. It was okay to cry. Yes, Rachel deserved the punishment, but Shelby also knew that the crying might help Rachel get through this.

Another swat, and Rachel's behind was really starting to burn.

"Mama, stop! Please. It hurts." Rachel cried and squirmed. She really wanted this to stop. The building fire in her behind was really starting to hurt and her mother's hand felt as if it was covered in steel.

A few more swats, and Rachel finally gave into the spanking, she finally realized that this spanking was going to happen regardless, so she gave in, though she didn't particularly want too, and Shelby immediately stopped, pulled Rachel's panties gently into place, and maneuvered Rachel around so that she could lie on the bed on her stomach.

The entire ordeal had lasted less than five minutes from the time that Shelby had walked into the door until she had landed the last swat, but to Rachel, it had felt like it had been forever.

"You said you would hold me." Rachel practically wailed. She didn't understand it, but she wanted her mother now. She wanted her mother to hold her while she cried, while her backside hurt from the raging fire her mother had set there. She just wanted her mother.

Shelby kicked off her shoes and crawled into her daughter's bed and then helped Rachel move closer to her, her head lying on her mother's chest.

"I am sorry." Rachel said, sobbing into her mother's chest. She reached back and tried to rub her backside, but it stung, so she moved her arm back around and wrapped it over her mother's stomach.

"It is all over now, Princess." Shelby said as she rubbed Rachel's back.

"It hurts." Rachel whimpered.

"I am sure that it does, Princess. I hope that it will teach you a lesson. My rules are there for a reason, Rachel. You need to respect that. If you cannot respect my rules, I am not going to be able to trust you. I don't want that to happen." Shelby said softly. The time for stern words was over.

"I am sorry." Rachel sobbed harder.

"Shh. Princess. It's all over now. We are going to have a clean slate. When you wake up tomorrow, we are starting all over, okay?"

"Okay." Rachel sniffed, rubbing her face, tears, snot, and all, over her mother's shirt without a thought.

"I love you, Rachel. I love you more than anything." Shelby whispered hugging Rachel close to her. She didn't care that Rachel had just rubbed her nose on her shirt. How many times had she done the same to Kate growing up?

"I love you, too, Mama." Rachel said, still crying a little, but her tears were slowly starting to fade.

Shelby just held her daughter until Rachel fell into a deep sleep. Once she did, Shelby stood up from the bed and moved the blankets from the floor, because Rachel had not made her bed that morning, to the bed. Shelby gently moved her daughter to the middle of the bed, pulling her rabbit from underneath her pillows and wrapping Rachel's hand around him and then pushing him lightly against her stomach, the way that Rachel slept with him every night. Before Shelby moved to cover Rachel with her blankets, she lifted the teenager's shirt and gently pulled the top of her underwear down and looked at her still red backside before she covered Rachel, trying to determine if Rachel would even want the blankets over her backside. Shelby knew, from experience, that Rachel would still be tender the next day, but she covered Rachel up, knowing that she would probably sleep through the night and wouldn't even notice the pressure the blankets had on her backside, and then went to her own room, turning on her television and changing into her clothes.

Spanking Rachel had not only been hard on Rachel. It had been hard on Shelby as well. Shelby finally let a few tears fall. It really had been much harder than she had thought that it would be. She was exhausted, but knew that it would be a while before she fell asleep.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby woke up a couple hours later. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the television.

On the screen was a familiar cartoon. A toaster and a blanket sat on the screen. Shelby immediately started to cry as she grabbed her phone. She was close to hyperventilating by the time that she dialed the number she wanted.

"_Baby girl?"_

"Weazy…" Shelby cried into the phone.

On the other end, Kate was immediately awake.

"_Baby girl, it will be okay. Take a deep breath…"_

* * *

**Hey guys. This was not edited as much as I would have liked, and I am not sure when I will update next on anything. I am sick, and I have not been able to write at all...I am just posting this because it was written already. **

**I hope that you enjoyed it. **

**Thanks.**


	23. Memories

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Memories**

Kate unlocked the door to Shelby's home and quickly closed the door behind her, flicking the lock back over and setting her bag on the floor. She was going to stay for as long as Shelby needed her.

Shelby was, after all, her first baby. Parker was home with Aria and Melody, and it was Saturday night, so there was nothing to worry about the next morning that he could not take care of since he would not have to work and the girls would not have to go to school.

Kate walked upstairs and quickly checked on Rachel and found her sleeping, and then went into Shelby's room. She started to close the door only to hear Shelby whimper out, "Don't close it. I told her that I would never close my door to her."

Kate left the door cracked several inches and then kicked her shoes off, and climbed into Shelby's bed, setting her back against the headboard. Shelby immediately turned and molded herself into Kate, tears falling down her face just as they had been for the last twenty-five minutes.

"Oh, baby girl, talk to me." Kate said softly as she ran her fingers through Shelby's hair since her head was now in her lap.

"I woke up and it was on tv. I never watch it, ever. It just sneaks up on me. It just happens, Weazy."

"Shh. Baby girl, it is okay." Kate said. Kate knew that sometimes Shelby still had a hard time after everything that they had been through, but Shelby had been so young, and Kate had had to step up and mother Shelby. She would not change a thing. Shelby was her daughter just as much as Aria and Melody were. She had raised her. She had held her when she cried, took care of her when she was sick, spanked her, grounded her, been to every competition she was ever in.

Shelby was her baby girl. Her first. The mere eight years that separated them had stopped mattering the moment that their parents had been killed and Kate had custody of Shelby.

"Do you want to talk about it, baby girl?" Kate whispered, wiping some of the tears away from Shelby's face, only for them to be replaced with more tears.

"I saw the tv…like a flashback…that night…" Shelby mumbled and cried out, letting all of her vulnerabilities out, something she did in front of no one else.

They both remembered what happened that night. That night so long ago.

… "_Mom and Dad are taking me to see __The Brave Little Toaster__ for my birthday, Weazy! I don't understand why you don't want to go." Twelve year old Shelby Corcoran stared at her big sister, twenty year old Kate. _

"_Mom and Dad don't even want to see that, why in the world would I want to see it if I don't have too?" Kate teased. _

_Shelby looked at her and pouted. _

"_So what! I know that Mom and Dad don't want to see it, but they said that I could do whatever I want since it was my birthday. It's not like they ever really spend time with me otherwise." Shelby hissed at her big sister. _

_Kate laid a hand on her Shelby's arm and bent down to her eye level._

"_Shelly, calm down. I was just messing with you. I know that Mom and Dad don't always get to spend a lot of time with you. They are busy, but they always make time on your birthday so that you have them for the whole day. I want you to have that without me taking away from it, Shel." Kate said quietly. She had known that their parents had been a bit distant lately, working long hours and barely even calling her like they had when she had first gone to college, but she had not realized how much it was affecting Shelby. Shelby was only twelve. She needed a constant parent. _

_Shelby sighed. _

"_I don't understand why they always have to work. Whatever. I know they don't want to go, but we are going to the movies. Are you still going to take me out Friday?"_

"_Of course. We always do something for your birthday."_

"_Yea. I can't wait!" Shelby squealed. _

_Kate merely smiled. She knew that their parents, especially their father, hated cartoons, but they had promised Shelby she could do whatever she wanted for her twelfth birthday, which was today, and they were leaving in an hour. _

_Six hours later, Kate was in the library studying for an exam the librarian told her that she had a phone call. Kate always told her family where she was so that they could get a hold of her. _

_She answered the phone to a hysterical Shelby. _

_On the way home, there had been an accident. A drunk driver had swerved to hit the car that held their parents and Shelby. Shelby walked away without a scratch, but with plenty of guilt. _

_That Friday, instead of going out like they had planned, Kate and Shelby Corcoran buried both of their parents. _

_In one instant, Kate Corcoran lost her parents and became a mother…_

Kate held Shelby closer. She was used to the late night phone calls. Right after the accident, it had been screams in the night. She had spent many nights that first year in Shelby's room. A dream, hearing about a car accident, even a random toaster would sometimes cause Shelby to nearly hyperventilate. Shelby blamed herself. She was the one who had wanted so badly to see a cartoon that neither of their parents had wanted to see.

Kate had never told Shelby, but she had found out through their parents' lawyer that their parents were in the process of getting a divorce when the accident occurred. Shelby held enough guilt, and Kate would take that information with her forever. It had been the reason that their parents had suddenly turned so distant, even with their daughters. Especially their daughters.

Kate had taken over her role well, though. After the first month, they had established rules and a routine, and Kate was able to finish four years of college in three so that she could focus on her sister.

"You know that the accident was not your fault, baby girl." Kate whispered.

Shelby sniffed. She knew that. She was thirty-four years old. She understood that her parents had made a conscious choice to take her to see that movie the day she turned twelve.

That drunk driver had made a conscious decision to drink and drive.

But the twelve year old in Shelby sometimes surfaced and told her that she had begged and whined until her parents gave in to shut her up.

Shelby's breathing picked up.

Kate sighed when she felt Shelby's breathing pick up. She needed to get her to calm down. She was well aware that no one ever saw this side of Shelby except for her. She knew that Shelby had to have this time to lose it because she was always so in control.

"Shelby Corcoran! Calm down this moment!" Kate said sternly when she felt Shelby's breathing pick up again, in a more distressed way.

Kate moved Shelby aside and went into the bathroom to look through the bathroom medicine cabinet where she knew Shelby kept the xanax that was used to control her panic attacks.

"I don't want to take it! They make me feel funny and you know it, Weazy!" Shelby hissed out through her tears and heavy breathing.

Kate rolled her eyes and filled a glass of water, taking one of the pills out. She knew that Shelby never took them. The only time that she ever had these attacks was late at night, and she always called Kate, no matter where she was at, and Kate had to practically force the pills into her mouth for her to take them.

It had been nearly a year since it had happened, and the xanax prescription was older than that.

Kate set the water and pill on the bedside table and sat beside Shelby who was now sitting on the side of the bed, trying to control her breathing.

"If you don't calm down in about the next couple of minutes, you will take it if I have to force it down your throat." Kate threatened. Shelby's breath caught and she looked up at Kate.

"Weazy…"

"Do not 'Weazy' me, Shelby Corcoran! We go through this every single time that this happens."

"God! Then why do you bother coming! I am sorry that I woke you up and drug you out of bed and over here!" Shelby hissed. She was trying to remain quiet because she didn't want to wake up Rachel, but it was hard because she was also trying to control her breathing.

Kate's eyes widened. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to swat Shelby, despite her being thirty-four years old. In that moment, all she saw and heard was her eldest daughter acting like a brat. A petulant brat.

"Do not even go there, Shelby! Do. Not. Even. Go. There! I will never stop coming when you call me. I will never stop being here for you. Even when you act like a brat. Shelby, you are acting like Rachel acts when she doesn't get her way. Like Melody and Aria do as well!" Kate pointed out, standing over Shelby who was still sitting on the side of the bed. She didn't miss when Shelby unconsciously put her hands at the sides of her legs. Kate had been famous for swatting the darling girl as a teen on the side of the leg when she was sitting and refusing to listen or had an attitude.

"Do you remember when Melody was born?" Kate suddenly asked, knowing better than to point out that Shelby was still, at thirty-four, unconsciously expecting swats when she did something that she knew Kate would not appreciate. Now that she was older, they were able to act more like sisters, but deep down, they both knew that Kate was Shelby's mother.

Shelby blushed at the question.

She remembered. She had always loved Melody, but she had been insanely jealous when Melody was born. Weazy had been hers up until then. Even after Parker, she had known that Weazy was still hers maternally. Even when she had hidden Rachel from her for more than a year before finally explaining to her the terrible thing she had done, Weazy had always been hers.

But then Melody had come along and Weazy was not _just _hers anymore. After 23 years, she had to share Weazy. For the first six months of Melody's life, Shelby had made it a point to tick Kate off every single time they were together, which was a lot. It had been a rough patch for Shelby and Kate and it had taken a while for Kate to realize that Shelby had been jealous and afraid that she had lost the only family she had.

"Shelby, I asked you a question."

"Yes, I remember." Shelby whispered. Her breathing was starting to slow down a little bit.

"What did I tell you after everything we went through during that time?" Kate prompted.

Shelby swallowed and took the glass of water on her stand and took a few sips to try and calm down further.

She set it down and looked back up at Kate. She felt like a teenager again. It was not a feeling that she necessarily liked.

"You told me that no matter what, I was your baby girl, your first daughter, and nothing that I could or would do, past, present, or future, would ever change that. That I could always call you in the middle of the night or the middle of the day because you are my mom and that is what moms do. You said that you would never leave me and that you would always be there to catch me if I fall and that you will always be there when I need to be set back on track." Shelby whispered.

Kate got on her knees and kneeled in front of Shelby, placing her hands on Shelby's knees.

"I love you, Shelby Corcoran. I love you so very, very much. I will never leave you and I will _always_ be here for you when you need me. I know that you know that."

"I know." Shelby whispered, a tear dripping off of the tip of her nose. Kate reached up and gently wiped some of the tears from Shelby's face with her fingertips.

"You know that you do not have to put up that wall all the time."

"I don't." Shelby whispered.

"You do. I think that is why when you finally do break down you have such bad panic attacks. Especially when they are triggered like this one was. I really wish that you would take the xanax."

Shelby sniffed.

"I don't want too. What if Rachel needs me? She went to bed early. I spanked her for the first time right before bed." Shelby sniffed again.

"I will be here. Besides, you are not that out of it when you take them, Shelby. You know that they just relax you so that you don't have another panic attack. She probably won't wake up tonight anyways. You never did."

Shelby sighed and held out her hand. She was stubborn and felt that making Kate hand her the pill was not exactly giving in.

Kate shook her head and handed her the pill and the glass of water that Shelby had put back down. She then watched as Shelby took the tiny pill.

"Are you going to lay with me?" Shelby whispered.

"Yes, so let's lay down." Kate said, standing, and then flicking off all the lights except for one, dim lamp. Kate then crawled into the bed and lay behind Shelby so that she could wrap her arms around her.

"I love you, Shelby." Kate told her again.

Shelby sniffed.

"I love you too, Weazy."

There was silence for a few moments and then Kate asked, "How did this afternoon go?"

"It was really hard. I didn't want to go through with it. And she cried forever. She tried to wear a pair of my sweats, the thickest pair that I have. They were way too big for her, but I didn't even tell her it was pointless until I was actually pulling them down. It was just so hard." Shelby said softly. The entire afternoon had just been long and hard.

"Remember the first time I had to spank you?"

Shelby stiffened. Hell yes she remembered that!

She then nodded.

"Tell me about it." Kate prompted.

"It was six months after you became my mom. I got into that fight at school with Lily Plicker. She said that I was an orphan and some other choice things, and so I hit her, knocking out her two front teeth. Then when you picked me up, having to miss class to do so, I told you that I didn't give a…um…" Shelby cleared her throat. She still didn't use vulgar language in front of Kate if she could help it, "…that I didn't give a flying fuck that I had knocked her two front teeth out and that I would do it again. You grounded me. Then when we got home, I kept yelling at you. Then I picked up the remote and threw it at you, making it crash against the wall. You sent me to my room and told me that after you calmed down, that you were going to spank me. It made me angry, and then when you did come up, I was confused. You sat on my bed and pulled me in front of you, and you told me that you were going to spank me and that from that moment on that major acts of misbehavior would be punished that way. You unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down and me over your lap. You spanked me and I just knew that you were never going to stop. It hurt. I remember thinking about how mean you were being to me and that it wasn't fair. Then when you stopped, you held me and let me cry."

Kate nodded. It had been a rough day in both of their lives.

"Do you know what I remember, baby girl?"

Shelby shook her head.

Kate tightened her grip on Shelby and held her close, resting her chin on Shelby's shoulder.

"That night, after you went to bed, I cried. I cried because it hurt me to have to spank you. I knew that you deserved it, I knew that it hurt your feelings and your pride, but I cried because I was afraid that you were going to hate me for doing it. I cried because I was twenty years old and had to step up and discipline you even though I felt, at the time, that it wasn't my right. But, most of all, I knew that in that moment, the moment that I landed the first smack on your bare behind, that I would never change it. I would never leave you. I would love you like my own child from then on out. Because you, Shelby Corcoran, are my daughter."

Shelby sniffed.

"I remember something else about that day." Shelby whispered.

"Yea? What is that?"

Shelby swallowed and then turned around so that she could face Kate.

"I remember that when you comforted me, I had never felt so loved by anyone. Not Mom or Dad…you gave me that…you gave me love that I never knew that I needed. You are still giving it to me."

Shelby laid her head on Kate's chest and Kate wrapped her arms around Shelby.

"I love you, baby girl." Kate whispered.

Shelby cuddled closer to Kate.

"I love you too, Weazy." Shelby mumbled, and then drifted off into sleep as Kate rubbed her back.

Only then, when Kate was positive that Shelby was asleep, did she allow herself, still holding Shelby as she would continue to do for the rest of the night, to fall asleep herself.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

When Rachel got up the next morning, she was distressed to find that her backside was still a bit sore. Her mother might have never spanked anyone before, but she had obviously known what she was doing.

Rachel was lying on her stomach, no blankets covering her because they were all on the floor, her hand snaked behind her gently rubbing her behind. How was it even possible that her butt was _only_ a little pink? Oh, she had looked in the mirror when she had gotten up to go to the bathroom. She thought for sure that her posterior was bruised, but it wasn't. It was just tinged pink. A pink that was slowly fading.

Rachel was going to make it a point to never make her mother spank her again. Yes, that was her goal.

Rachel finally climbed out of bed and looked down at the floor. Her mom's thick lounge pants were still on floor, so Rachel just bent down and then pulled them on, tightening the string and rolling the top of them down several times. The pants were still too long, but she didn't care. She was not really planning on doing anything today. She wasn't even sure if she could watch television, and her mom had her phone.

Rachel walked downstairs and was surprised that her mom wasn't in there. Her mom was always up before she was.

But, Rachel suddenly thought, maybe she could find that stuff her mom had used on her back and use it…maybe it would rid her of the leftover pain that she was currently feeling from the night before.

Rachel blushed. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that her mom had actually spanked her. She was fifteen years old and she had been spanked. Rachel shook her head. It was not something that she was proud of….damnit! Rachel suddenly inwardly sighed. Santana had been right! Rachel had gotten herself spanked before Regionals.

Rachel shook her head as she opened the bottom cabinet and used it to climb up the cabinet, sitting on her knees on top of the counter so that she could look through the cabinet where her mom kept all of the medicine.

Rachel opened the cabinet door and looked inside.

It was almost overwhelming because her mom had so much stuffed into the cabinet. Plus, she wasn't sure what her mama had rubbed on her back and tailbone the time she had fallen off the trellis.

Rachel moved slightly, trying to relieve the pressure on her rear, when she was suddenly lifted through the air, a light scream leaving her throat.

"Rachel Barbra! What are you doing?" Shelby said, her arm still wrapped around Rachel's middle, trying to adjust the pants that Rachel had on because they had twisted when she had pulled Rachel off of the countertop.

"I was trying to get something!" Rachel said, trying to get her mom to put her on the floor.

Shelby finally set Rachel on the ground and looked down at her.

"Rachel, I don't want you in the medicine cabinet. If you need something, I would rather you ask me for it first."

"Why?" Rachel asked quietly. Did her mom not think she could do anything?

"Because, Rach, I need to know when you take medicine. I have to know exactly when and how much, and right now, I would just prefer to be the one to give it to you." Shelby told her. She didn't mention that she didn't feel comfortable with Rachel medicating herself when the girl could not even pick out her own food. Shelby really did need to know what and when Rachel took things though. She knew that Rachel took her birth control pills. They sat in Shelby's bathroom on the countertop where Rachel had placed them after Shelby had given them to her. Rachel came in nearly every morning and took one, and when she forgot, Shelby gave her a gentle reminder.

"What if you are not here and I have a headache?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, I will tell you what. I will move everything up into my bathroom except for Tylenol, Ibuprophen, and Midol. I will leave those three in this cabinet, but you have to write down every single time that you take something, and how many capsules you take. Sound fair?" Shelby compromised.

Rachel thought for a few seconds and then nodded. That sounded okay.

"What is Midol for?" Rachel asked, immediately confirming Shelby's theory that Rachel did not need to be self medicating yet. They needed to work up to that. Shelby wanted her to be able to feed herself something other than a banana before they moved onto something else.

"Cramps. When you are on your period. No matter what you take out of here, you only take two. If you need more than that, if I am not here, you call me." Shelby told her.

Rachel blushed.

"Oh. Okay."

"Now, what were you looking for? What is wrong?" Shelby asked, feeling Rachel's head for fever now that she made sure the girl knew that she didn't want her getting her own medicine.

She wasn't warm, but a light blush was spreading across her cheeks.

"Talk to me, Rach. Please don't keep things away from me." Shelby said, brushing some of the hair out of Rachel's face.

Rachel sighed and looked down.

"I thought I could use that stuff you used on my back on my…ya know…cause…it…ya know…kinda still…um…hurts." Rachel mumbled.

Shelby looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Princess, I used icyhot on your back. You do not want to use that if you are still aching from a spanking. It will sting." Shelby said, barely able to hide the laugh that was trying so hard to come out.

Rachel blushed furiously. That would have sucked.

"I have some aloe vera that you may use though. It will not take the complete ache, but it will help. I hope that your sore behind today helps you remember the rules from now on. I don't want to have to spank you again, but I will. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am. I understand." Rachel whispered.

Shelby nodded and then gave Rachel a quick hug just as Kate walked in the kitchen, her hair all over the place.

"Aunt Weazy! What are you doing here?" Rachel said, shocked a bit because she had never seen her aunt look so unkempt or in her pajamas.

"I just decided to spend the night here." Kate said, smiling, as she went over to the cabinet so that she could start a pot of coffee. She needed some coffee.

"Oh. You and Uncle Parker have a fight? But why did you leave Aria and Melody? You are the mom, you aren't supposed to leave when you have kids." Rachel said, dead seriously.

Kate looked down at Rachel quickly and took a step towards her.

"Uncle Parker and I didn't have a fight, Rachel, why would you think that? I just spent the night here because sometimes I like to talk to your mom. We don't get to talk much during the day, and it got late so I stayed." Kate told her. Rachel didn't need to know the real reason that she was there, but she also needed to know that she and Parker had not had a fight.

"My dads fought a lot. Only, they both left. I know that I had to stay at home alone because Mama wasn't in the picture yet." Rachel said with a shrug.

Shelby had to fight back her tears.

"Rachel, Aunt Weazy and Uncle Parker aren't fighting. Weazy and I just stayed up late last night talking. Aria and Melody are not home alone, they are with their daddy. He would _never _leave them alone. If you were there, he would _never _leave you alone either. _Never_."

Rachel shrugged. Her dads left her alone all the time. So what. It wasn't that big a deal. She wasn't there now.

Rachel turned to look at her mother.

"Are you going to…you know…help me?" Rachel asked, embarrassed to ask her mom for the aloe vera now.

"Yes, it is in the fridge. I will get it." Shelby said, walking to the fridge and motioning for Kate to leave the kitchen for a few moments. Kate smiled knowingly and walked into the living room. She knew what was going on. She had rubbed aloe vera on Shelby's behind many a time after a spanking.

Shelby took the blue gel out of the fridge and handed it to Rachel.

"I can help you if you want me too, Rachel. Otherwise, all you have to do is rub it on the affected area…make sure that you rub it in good. Do you want me to do it for you?"

Rachel shook her head.

"I think I got it."

"Okay, Princess. I am going to make breakfast then. I will come get you when I am finished."

Rachel nodded and went to walk towards the stairs.

"Wait, Rach?" Shelby stopped her.

Rachel turned around and looked at her mother.

"Yea?"

"You know that the way your dads treated you was wrong, right? No one deserves to be left alone. I really want you to talk to me about everything…you shouldn't keep that stuff to yourself."

Rachel swallowed and looked up at her mother.

"I know I can."

Rachel then turned back around and walked up the stairs, leaving Shelby in the kitchen with her thoughts. Shelby, no matter how much she wanted Rachel to talk to her about her fathers, knew that she could not push Rachel until Rachel was ready to be pushed.

She just wasn't ready yet.

"You are doing a good job, baby girl. Stop worrying so much." Kate said quietly as she walked back into the kitchen.

Shelby forced a smile. She hoped that she was. She really did.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Kate left before lunch, leaving Shelby and Rachel to sit around and have a lazy Sunday afternoon as soon as Shelby was positive that Rachel didn't have any homework. After lunch, though, she asked Rachel to wash the dishes, something that was one of Rachel's chores after supper during the week and lunch and supper on the weekends. Shelby always did the breakfast dishes.

Today, though, Rachel was not listening to Shelby, it seemed. Because at about one o'clock, Shelby walked into the kitchen to see the dishes still on the counter and in the sink, not one had been so much as moved.

Shelby sighed. She had thought that Rachel has already washed the dishes. She had told her twice since lunch that they needed to be done before she did anything else.

Shelby went up the stairs and into Rachel's room. Rachel was listening to one of her iPods, lying on her stomach, Shelby's lounge pants on the floor beside a now nearly empty bottle of aloe vera. The bottle had been nearly full. Shelby nearly rolled her eyes when she realized that Rachel had apparently used way more aloe vera than necessary, as the stuff was seeping through her Scooby Doo panties, and was gooped up at the crease where behind met leg and even on Rachel's comforter and up on the lower part of her back.

The stuff was literally everywhere. Shelby shook her head and went into Rachel's bathroom, wet a washcloth with cool water and grabbed a bath towel, and then went back into Rachel's bedroom and sat down, gently tugging the ear buds out of Rachel's ears, causing the girl to look up at her.

"I thought I told you to do the dishes."

Rachel sighed. She didn't want to do the dishes!

Shelby stayed silent as she scooted down the bed and lifted Rachel's panties up with her fingers, trying to avoid as much of the aloe vera as possible.

Rachel jerked her head around.

"What are you doing?" Rachel said, starting to reach back. Shelby caught her hand.

"You are getting this stuff everywhere, Rachel. Lift up; your panties are soaked with the stuff. It is even on your comforter."

"I don't want you to see me half naked!"

"I've seen you half naked. More than once. Lift up. I told you to rub this stuff in, which did not mean using the entire bottle."

"No."

"Princess, I want you to lift up so that I can take these off of you, so that I can wipe the excess off. You can lay down until I leave your room, and then put on some different panties. I do not want you getting this anywhere else. I am already going to have to wash your comforter because you have the stuff everywhere."

"Ugh, Fine!" Rachel said, and lifted up, letting her mother pull off the only thing left covering her bottom.

Shelby sighed as the aloe vera literally covered everything. What in the world had Rachel been thinking? She had used nearly the entire bottle!

"Princess, why did you use so much?"

"Because, I wanted the sting to go away."

Shelby rolled her eyes. She suddenly realized that her daughter was being dramatic. She was sure that Rachel might have a little residual sting, but nothing like she was pretending. Shelby had been in this situation. She had been in Rachel's situation anyways. This was the first time that she had been the one to spank.

Shelby tossed the aloe vera drenched undergarment into Rachel's clothes basket, and then gently wiped off Rachel's behind to get rid of the aloe vera. Once she was done, she noticed that Rachel's backside was not even a tinge pink anymore. She might be tender, but nothing else.

"Put some more panties on and then come and wash the dishes." Shelby said as she walked towards the door.

"I will get to it." Rachel said, starting to put her ear buds back in.

"How many times do I have to tell you to go wash the dishes, Princess? I am leaving so you can get dressed, but you better be downstairs in about three minutes."

"God, fine!" Rachel said, the scolding phrase her mother had said leaving stinging tears in her eyes.

Shelby nodded and then walked back downstairs. She began humming as she straightened up the living room.

Rachel, suddenly in a very bad mood, walked towards the kitchen, and then stopped when she heard her mother humming when she picked up a plate from the counter.

She froze.

_Fur Elise._

Rachel's breathing picked up.

… "_Daddy! Dad! Watch my new dance! I made a dance that goes with the music in the music box you got me for my birthday!" five year old Rachel screamed through the house in her excitement. _

_She ran into the living room and stared at her fathers, both turning to glare at her. _

"_Damnit, Rachel! How many times do we have to tell you to keep quiet!" her Daddy Leroy yelled, snatching the music box from her, the tune, Fur Elise, playing beautifully until he threw it against the wall, breaking the music box against the wall. _

_Rachel felt the tears start to swell up in her eyes. _

_She turned and walked, not ran, to where the music box lay. She picked it up and then went to her room, hiding it under her bed. She then laid on her bed quietly, and cried…_

Rachel felt angry tears begin to swim in her eyes. She threw the plate down, causing it to shatter on the ceramic tiled floor, and then ran upstairs to her room.

Rachel threw things out of her way. She threw trophies and plaques onto the floor behind her as she looked for the music box she knew was in her room.

Shelby had heard the plate shatter, and went into the kitchen only to see it littering the floor. Then she heard things being thrown in Rachel's room, so she quickly made her way up to Rachel's room to see what in the world was going on with her fifteen year old.

She made it to Rachel's doorway just in time to see Rachel throw a small jewelry box at her bedroom wall, knocking off a picture that Shelby had hung for Rachel and putting a dent in the wall.

Shelby immediately walked over to Rachel, grabbed her arm and gently shook her.

"What is wrong with you?" Shelby asked.

"You! I hate _Fur Elise _and you were humming it! I hate it! I hate that jewelry box! I hate my dads! They told me to be quiet, but they didn't have to break my music box! I was only five! Five! It played that tune and you were humming it. I. Hate. It! Fuck! Let me go, damnit!"

Shelby finally had had enough. She knew that she had to get to the bottom of Rachel's issue with the jewelry box and her fathers, but right now she had to take care of Rachel's current actions.

She moved Rachel to her side, and swatted her three times, knowing that it would sting plenty since she had just been spanked the night before, and then, putting a hand on each of her shoulders, Shelby looked down at her daughter.

"Calm down, Rachel Barbra. I understand that you are upset, but you are fifteen. There are better ways to control your anger than acting like a toddler!" Shelby scolded gently.

"I was angry. You smacked me! It hurt!" Rachel sobbed loudly. Shelby sighed and walked over to Rachel's bed, the comforter thrown on the floor, and pulled Rachel down on her lap, wrapping her arms around Rachel and rocking her.

Shelby knew that they were going to get nowhere at the moment, but she would talk to Rachel about it later. Probably when she tucked Rachel in that night because she knew that Rachel talked more when she was tired.

Shelby rocked Rachel back and forth and held her while she cried. Shelby knew that she was crying out all of her frustrations at the moment. Shelby simply held her.

Rachel was thinking about something completely different. For weeks she had been trying to figure out how to seek constant comfort from her mom. She knew she could get it when she was sick, but now she realized that she also got it after she was punished.

Rachel didn't want to be in trouble, but if she got to be held by her mother, she was completely okay with it.

She would have to think about it.

She did love being held by her mother. She felt almost as loved by the woman as she did by Puck when he held her.

Yes.

Her goal was no longer to make sure that her mother didn't spank her.

Rachel Barbra Berry was going to have to figure out how to get in just enough trouble to get her mom to hold her all the time.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, Again, this is not really edited bery well. I am feeling better, but still kinda worn out. I hope that you all enjoyed it:) It showed a different side of Shelby, that is for sure. **

**To answer some questions that have been in more than one review: Are Shelby and Rachel going to get to bond over things that are not Rachel getting into trouble? Eventually. Right now, they have been together for roughly ten weeks. It takes a while for bonds to form, and Shelby is still trying to overcome her "Coach Corcoran" personality. She is getting closer though. **

**So, yea, there will be bonding for the sake of bonding...eventually. However, be aware, I like drama, so there is always going to be some sort of drama. **


	24. Sick and Troubled Comforts

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Sick and Troubled Comforts**

Rachel knew exactly how she was going to get her mom's attention. She had known that her mother had wanted to talk to her the night before about what had happened the day before, but Rachel had not wanted to talk, so when her mother had come to tuck her in, she had pretended to be asleep. She had needed time to think. Time to plan.

And now she had one.

She was going to make sure that her mother noticed her and, while she did not necessarily like the means, she did look forward to the end product; that moment when she would be able to cuddle with her mom for as long as she wanted. She wished that she could figure out a way to get sick. That would be so much easier than getting those swats that tended to leave a residual sting forever. Even worse was an actual spanking; those left the sting for nearly an entire day.

Ohhh. Rachel thought to herself suddenly.

She could be sick!

She wanted to work on Broadway for goodness sakes! She was an actress! She could play sick…just sick enough that her mom wouldn't want to take her to the doctor…just keep her home. Rachel definitely did not want to mess with the doctor's office again if she didn't have too.

Rachel smiled as she walked to her locker and put her books in. She was definitely going to do that.

"Hey, Baby." Puck said, coming up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

She smiled.

"Hey." She whispered, kissing him.

"How much trouble did you get into with your mom on Saturday?" Puck asked her.

Rachel blushed.

"She was upset. She took my phone. She lectured me forever. You want to skip first and go to the auditorium?" Rachel asked.

Puck looked at her.

"Are you sure?" Puck asked her. They had both talked about not skipping school for a while so that they could get Ms. Corcoran off their backs about it. The woman had even lectured Puck one Saturday about skipping classes. It had been intense.

"Yes. I want to spend some time with you before I go to the nurse's office and tell her I am sick. I want my mom to come get me."

Puck looked at her for a few moments before taking her hand and walking with her to the auditorium.

"Why do you want to go home, Rach?" Puck asked after they climbed up the scaffolding and sat down.

Rachel blushed, even though she was sitting between Puck's legs with her back against his chest.

"I just want to see if she will come get me." Rachel said quietly.

Puck nodded and wrapped his arms around Rachel. He understood that. Rachel wanted to see if her mom would put things aside for her. Her fathers sure hadn't. Puck's parents really hadn't ever either.

"Do you think she is ever going to let us hang out again? I'd really like to actually get to take you on a date again. It is March and we haven't been out since December." Puck whispered.

Rachel smiled. She loved going out with her boyfriend.

"I will talk to her. She has some invitational thing with Vocal Adrenaline in two weeks. I will have the house to myself that weekend. You can come stay the weekend with me." Rachel said.

"Yea. I'd like that." Puck said, honestly surprised that Rachel's mom would leave Rachel at home by herself for an entire weekend. Especially after the way she had overreacted to the past Saturday.

"You two love birds better be fully fucking clothed up there!" Santana's voice suddenly interrupted them. Both Rachel and Puck watched as Santana climbed up and sat on the opposite end of the scaffolding.

"Princess, I thought you were going to stop skipping class until your mom stopped flipping out about it." Santana said, an arched eyebrow raised perfectly.

"Yea, well, our visit got cut short on Saturday." Rachel snapped, then blushed.

Santana grinned.

"Why?" She prompted. She and Rachel may have only recently become friends, but she could tell there was way more to this story.

"I pissed my mother off by riding with Noah in his truck. When I was supposed to be at home cleaning." Rachel said, shooting Santana a tiny glare.

"Oh stop. That look so doesn't work on me. Puck, don't you have somewhere to go for a few minutes? I need to talk to the Princess."

Puck sighed. Why did Satan have to ruin the one hour he was going to get with his girlfriend today?

"It will be okay, Noah. It won't take long." Rachel said, knowing that he wouldn't want to leave, but also knowing that Santana was fixing to embarrass Rachel if he didn't.

Puck soon left, stating that he would be back in five minutes, and Santana scooted closer to Rachel.

"So, what did you and Puck do that caused your little Saturday visit to run short?" Santana asked, crossing her legs out in front of her.

"My mom had Saturday practice and left me at home, so I called Noah and we went to a park near my house, and then when he was taking me back home, my aunt saw us. I am not supposed to ride with anyone but my mom, aunt, and your mom. It's my mom's first rule. My Aunt Weazy saw us, and I was sitting on the console and Noah was texting and nearly ran a red light."

Santana stared at her.

"Girl, when it rains on your ass, it pours! We have got to work on your skills. You are too used to not having to answer to a parent and now that you do, you are getting into all sorts of shit."

"At least she comforts me, though." Rachel whispered. Santana looked away. She couldn't pretend to understand the way that Rachel's mind worked. She didn't understand it. She just knew that it was similar to the way that Quinn's mind had been working recently. Quinn had been a bit closed off since Santana's parents had gained custody of her. It seemed to have really hit Quinn that her parents didn't want her the day custody was transferred to the Lopez's because the one stipulation of the Lopez's adopting Quinn was that Quinn could no longer carry the Fabray name.

In a week, Quinn would go from being Lucy Quinn Fabray to Quinn Mauri Lopez, at Quinn's request. She had explained to Santana that it made her feel like she belonged. Like she fit in. That she would have a piece of the parents she knew would never leave her.

Santana had understood.

"What was your punishment?" Santana asked slyly.

Rachel really blushed at that, as well as began to fidget.

Santana laughed.

"I told you that she was going to spank your ass before Regionals! Damn, Princess! This is too good! You yelled at her after you were caught, didn't you?"

Rachel blushed a deeper shade of red.

"You don't have to be so amused. Yes, I said some things that I probably should not have."

Santana shook her head.

"Well, if you can stay out of trouble long enough, we need to have a sleepover…in like three weeks. This weekend my mom is doing something with Quinn, and next weekend we have to go out of town. But the next weekend is the weekend before Regionals, so Quinn and I figured that it would be a good time to relax. It's no secret that the last few months have been really hard on you and Quinn both." Santana said softly. Rachel looked away for a moment before looking back.

"I'd like that, Santana. I have to talk to Mama, but I am pretty sure that her and your mom are friends now, so I don't think she will have a problem with it."

Both girls sat up there for another few minutes, in silence. Rachel suddenly realized that she and Santana really were friends, and so were she and Quinn.

Rachel was finally beginning to feel content.

Now she just had to figure out how to make sure that her mother never left her. How to make the woman want to cuddle and comfort her.

But, Rachel knew that she would eventually figure it out. If nothing else, she was determined.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby walked quickly through the hallways of McKinley. She had gotten a phone call roughly an hour and forty-five minutes earlier from the school nurse telling her that Rachel was in her office, complaining of a bad headache and nausea. The school nurse had even told her that Rachel seemed to be a bit dizzy, but wouldn't admit to it, though the girl didn't have a fever.

Shelby had informed the front office that she needed a sub and was taking a sick day because her daughter was sick, and then had left so that she could get Rachel. She would already have to make her baby wait on her for more than an hour and a half, and she needed to leave.

Now, though, Shelby was at McKinley and walking into the front office. She signed in and then signed Rachel out, and followed the directions to the nurse's office.

Less than three minutes later, Shelby was in the nurse's office and, instead of stopping to talk to the nurse, set her purse down on a chair, and rushed over to where Rachel was lying down on a low cot.

"Oh, Princess. What is the matter?" Shelby said, sitting down on the edge of the cot and placing her hand on Rachel's head. The girl didn't feel feverish, but she looked pitiful.

"Mama, I don't feel good. My head hurts and my stomach hurts too." Rachel whimpered.

Shelby reached out and placed her hand on Rachel's stomach and rubbed it gently.

"I checked you out, so let's get you home. Do you need to go to the bathroom before we leave?" Shelby asked.

Rachel blushed, but shook her head no.

Shelby rubbed Rachel's stomach gently again and then stood up.

"Come on, Princess. Get your stuff while I talk to the nurse."

Rachel nodded and did as she was bid, waiting until she was out of the hallway before she smiled. This had totally worked.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby got Rachel settled on the couch after going into the laundry room and getting some of Rachel's lounge pants and a tank top then helping her change. Shelby handed her the remote and asked her if she needed anything.

"Will you sit with me?" Rachel whimpered, running her hand over her head.

"Of course I will, Princess. Let me get something for your stomach, and then if you keep that down, something for your head."

"Okay, Mama. I am sorry you have to take off work to pick me up." Rachel sniffed, a tear falling down her cheek.

Shelby stopped walking towards the stairs, as she had been going up to get the medicine she had moved to her bathroom, and walked back to the couch and sat on the edge, rubbing Rachel's back with her right hand and wiping Rachel's tears away with her left.

"Rachel, honey, I would never have wanted you to stay at school if you didn't feel good. I am glad that you had the nurse call me." Shelby said gently, pulling Rachel gently up and hugging her, rubbing her back again.

"I am going to go get you some medicine, and then I will sit with you. Maybe you will be able to fall asleep. Give me a few minutes and I will be right back."

"Okay, Mama." Rachel sniffed. Shelby stood up and walked up the stairs just as Rachel's phone started buzzing.

Rachel picked it up and noticed that it was Puck calling. It was lunchtime, and she had figured that he would call.

"Hey, Noah."

"_Hey, babe. So?"_

"It worked. She came and got me from school. We got home about fifteen minutes ago."

A throat being cleared behind her made Rachel freeze and she slowly turned around.

Shelby was standing there, her hands on her hips, the medicine she had retrieved from her bathroom hanging in her right hand.

"Um, Noah. I have to go." Rachel whispered.

Puck sighed.

"_She heard you, didn't she?"_

"Oh definitely."

"_We are never going to get to go on that date, Rach. Tell her why you wanted to pretend sick. She will listen. Love you."_

"Love you too. Bye." Rachel hung up the phone and looked back up at her mother.

Her mother did not look happy.

"Want to explain that to me, Rachel Barbra? Want to explain to me why I was called to your school because you were sick? Why both of us had to leave school? Because, surprisingly, you look absolutely fine now."

Rachel coughed. Twice.

Shelby rolled her eyes. Her child had to be joking! She seriously did not just fake cough _twice_ for Shelby!

"Cut it, Rachel. I know that you are not sick. You just told me that much yourself. Rachel, I am disappointed. Why did you lie to me? Why not talk to me and tell me what is going on in your head?"

"Like you are going to listen!" Rachel snapped, the fact that she was officially caught in her act making her defensive, especially since she wasn't exactly sure how to talk about what was going on in her head. There was too much going on in her mind all the time.

Shelby stared at Rachel. Did Rachel truly think that? Shelby was trying to think of one time when she had not been willing to listen to her daughter. She always made it a point to listen to Rachel, even if she did not let Rachel get her way every time, just like a few weeks prior when Shelby had stopped and picked up Quinn.

"I am always willing to listen to you, Rachel, but lying to get out of school is not something I will tolerate. Why did you lie?"

"Whatever." Rachel said, ignoring the question, and stood up and walked around the couch…the long way around the couch…and headed to the stairs.

"Stop right there, Rachel. We are fixing to talk about this." Shelby stated.

"No. We aren't." Rachel stepped up to the second stair, but Shelby was there in an instant and grabbed Rachel's arm.

"Why did you want to come home? Just tell me, Rachel. I would rather you talk to me than storm off. Is it school? Is that Mercedes girl still giving you a hard time?"

"Obviously it doesn't matter!" Rachel shouted. She did not want to talk about this!

"Obviously it does, Rachel! Obviously it matters or you would not be acting up!" Shelby said, a little louder than she had planned on.

Rachel spun around.

"God! You are being such a bitch! Leave me alone!"

Shelby froze, her eyes sending a steely glare at her daughter. She let go of Rachel's left arm and grabbed her right, then Shelby lifted her left hand and swatted Rachel, none too gently, twice.

"Get in your room. Now!" Shelby said, deadly serious.

Rachel's breath caught. Her tears were genuine now. This was so not going the way she had planned.

Her mom was supposed to be cuddling with her, not swatting her! This was not how this day was supposed to go at all.

Rachel ran up the stairs, and slammed her door shut behind her.

She leaned against the door. She needed to get out of here. She needed to take a walk. Something. Just something that would clear her head. If she weren't so worked up, she would write in her diary, but right now she needed to get out of the house, even if it was only for a little bit.

Rachel suddenly had an idea. She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes that she had not yet worn and a thick hoodie, put them on, and then opened her door, slamming it shut again, and then went over to her mother's room. This door, she did not slam. She shut it quietly and then went to her mother's window and opened it quietly. She stuck her phone in her pocket, and then climbed out of the window and onto the trellis that was under the window. She took a deep breath, hoping that she didn't fall off of this trellis like she had the one that used to be under her window.

She was successful, and once she was a foot from the ground, she jumped down.

As she looked up, her stomach dropped again. Her mother. Hands on her hips. Rachel figured that those hands were going to stick like that if her mother didn't find another stance.

"Really, Rachel? Really?"

Rachel looked up at her mother, then down again and sighed.

"I need to go for a walk. I need to clear my head." Rachel mumbled.

Shelby sighed. She really needed to get to the bottom of this. But, they were both upset, and she was angry and needed to calm down. She was still in her skirt and blazer from work, plus her heels, which didn't really work in the snow that she was currently standing in.

"Where is your phone?"

Rachel swallowed and took the device out of her pocket and handed it to her mother.

Shelby looked at the time on the phone. 12:33.

"I am going to let you go for a walk around the block, nowhere else. You will be back in this house by 1:15. You will regret it if you are not. We have things to talk about, but I think that we both need to clear our heads, so you may take your walk. Leave your phone on. If I call, you have better answer." Shelby said, handing the phone back to Rachel.

Rachel swallowed again.

"Yes ma'am."

"You need another sweater or your jacket before you leave, and then you can leave. Remember, 1:15, you need to be back in this house."

Rachel nodded, and then went to get her jacket. At least she could clear her thoughts a little more and think about everything.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was 1:50. She was going to give Rachel five more minutes before she called Rachel's phone. She was going to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was going to attempt to let her come back on her own.

Just as she was about to hit Rachel's number on her phone, the front door opened and closed. Shelby stood up from the couch and walked into the hallway, her face already holding the serious look it had held earlier.

She had calmed down, but then Rachel had not shown up when she was supposed to, and that had not set well with Shelby.

"Where have you been? You are forty-five minutes late."

Rachel looked up at Shelby and narrowed her eyes.

"I lost track of time. It isn't that big a deal."

"It is a big deal, Rachel. I was starting to really worry!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. She had walked further than she had meant too because she had been thinking of how to salvage this day.

She had not come up with any conclusions.

"You know, Princess, I thought that Saturday we had come to an understanding. But, obviously, I was wrong, and one spanking was not enough. It is obvious by the fact that you are lying to me, and ignoring my rules, that maybe you need another spanking." Shelby took a step forward.

Rachel took a step back, her throat suddenly very dry and her eyes wide.

Maybe this was her chance.

Her chin quivered.

"Will you hold me after?" Rachel asked suddenly. She didn't want to be spanked. Not at all. The memory was still too fresh in her mind, but she did want to know if her mother was going to hold her after if she really decided to spank her. It would suck, but, Rachel suddenly realized, it was definitely her own fault that it had come to this. She was the reason that her mother was prepared to spank her not three days after she had been spanked for the first time ever.

Shelby was thinking something completely different. Various thoughts ran through her head. Rachel had asked her to sit with her in the living room earlier too, when Shelby had thought that she was sick. She had overheard Rachel telling Noah that 'it had worked'.

Rachel was not nearly as sneaky as she thought she was, and there was no way in hell that she was fixing to spank her kid when all she wanted was to be held, despite the fact that she had been acting out.

"Rachel, is that what all of this has been about?" Shelby asked quietly, staring at Rachel trying to gage her reactions.

The immediate blush on Rachel's cheeks told her that, yes, that was exactly what this was about.

Shelby walked forward and took Rachel's hand and then pulled her into the living room. Rachel was confused when she watched her mother sit on the couch.

Shelby pulled Rachel to her and then onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and nearly sobbed when Rachel immediately molded herself into Shelby, taking a deep breath as if she was breathing in Shelby's scent.

Shelby suddenly realized that she was. She knew that Rachel was breathing in her scent because every single time that Shelby hugged Kate, she did the same thing. It was a comforting scent. A scent that meant home.

She wondered if Rachel felt that way about her scent.

"I think that we need to talk." Shelby said gently.

Rachel flinched, but Shelby just held her tighter, and put her hand at the side of Rachel's head so that she could gently push Rachel's head against her shoulder.

"I understand what today was about now, Princess. I am not saying that your actions are excusable, but I do understand. I am not going to punish you when all you were trying to do was seek out comfort. Rachel, you could have asked me to hold you. You could ask me to hug you. I don't care if it is in the middle of the night, you can wake me up or crawl into bed with me and I will hold you. Misbehaving is not the way to get comfort. I do not want to spank you because you are trying to get me to hold you. I am always willing to hold you. Though, the next time you think that it is okay to call me a bitch, a swat is going to be the least of your worries. But even then, I will hold you. I _love_ you, Rachel."

Rachel let a sob escape her throat, even as she reached for Shelby's hand that held the ring with Rachel's birthstone in it. Rachel began playing with the ring, bringing her mother's hand up to her close.

"Talk to me, Princess."

Rachel sniffed, and scooted down in her mother's lap.

"I'm sorry." Rachel whispered.

"I want to ask you some questions, Rach. I really want you to answer them, okay?"

Rachel nodded into Shelby's neck where her forehead was now resting.

"Yesterday you got upset because I was humming _Fur Elise_. Can you tell me why? It made you angry enough that you put a dent in your wall when you threw your music box."

Rachel sniffed.

"That music box used to play that tune and my dads got mad one day when I was five and threw it. It wouldn't play after that." Rachel whispered.

Shelby nodded. She had suspected as much the day before when Rachel had mentioned her fathers.

"Tell me something about your fathers, Princess. Anything at all. A fear, perhaps. Something that they did that you hope I never do." Shelby said. She knew that she had to stop letting Rachel skirt around these issues and that they were going to have to start talking about them. It was her own fault that she didn't make Rachel talk about it more, but somehow, she knew that Rachel was just not ready to put it all out there.

"They never hugged me." Rachel whispered.

"I will always hug you, Rachel. Always. You don't have to do things to get in trouble in the hopes that I will comfort you afterwards. You do not have to lie about being sick so that I will sit with you and comfort you then. Rachel, you just have to ask." Shelby whispered into her ear.

Rachel felt the tears falling down her face.

"I don't always know how to ask. I thought that if I was sick, that you would do it without a lot of prompting. Then when you realized that I lied, I knew that if I got into trouble that I could get you to hold me too. I am so sorry." Rachel sobbed.

"Shhh. It is okay. Rach, if you want me to hold you and you think that you can't ask, write it on a note and leave it where I can find it. If I have to, I will buy you some post it notes so you can stick them to my bathroom mirror. I will do whatever you need me too in order for you to feel comfortable talking to me, Princess. You can't keep bottling everything up inside you. It isn't healthy. I want you to talk to me."

"Okay." Rachel sniffed, and held her mother closer to her, breathing in her scent.

Shelby kissed Rachel's head and held her close with her free arm.

"I know, Princess, I know that it is going to take time. But, I am always going to be here. We have all the time in the world…"

* * *

**AB: Last chapter for a bit, but I wanted to get one out before Christmas.**

**Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate, Happy Holidays to those who do not:)**


	25. Being Ready

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Being Ready**

After their Monday afternoon chat, Shelby and Rachel were talking a little more than they had been, and Shelby thought that she might have finally made her daughter realize that she was always going to be there for her, and that she was never going to leave her. That Rachel could always come to her and tell her anything or ask for anything. She could tell, though, that Rachel was still having trouble asking her for comfort. Shelby tried to make a point to cuddle with Rachel for a little bit every day and made sure to hug Rachel every morning and as soon as they both got home from school. It was helping some, Shelby thought, and she would continue to hug Rachel randomly forever, now that she realized just how much physical comfort that Rachel yearned for.

By the next week, Shelby also realized something else about her child though.

Her child was delusional.

"Are you going to leave me food to eat when you go to the invitational this weekend?" Rachel asked on Tuesday night while they were eating supper. Shelby was not letting her go to the invitational with her because she didn't want to cross those lines with Rachel at the moment. She wanted Rachel to see her only as her mother, not as the coach of a rival show choir. They had come too far to mess all of that up right now.

Shelby looked across the table at Rachel.

"You are not staying here, Princess. You are going to stay with Aunt Weazy Friday and Saturday night, and then I will pick you up on Sunday night."

Rachel looked up, her eyes wide.

"I want to stay here." Why couldn't she stay here? This was her house! It wasn't like she had never stayed alone before!

Well…her mother never left her alone, but there was a first time for everything.

"I am not leaving you here by yourself, Rachel. You are staying with Aunt Weazy and Uncle Parker while I am gone. I thought that I mentioned that to you weeks ago when I told you about the invitational."

In fact, Shelby knew that she had. Obviously, the princess had not been listening to her.

Rachel thought back to when her mother had first told her about the invitational. She had blanked out as soon as her mother had said that she would be gone, thinking that she could invite Puck to spend the weekend with her.

"I would rather stay here. Please, Mama." Rachel begged. Not only did she _not_ want to go spend the night at Aunt Weazy's, she _wanted_ Puck to come stay with her.

"No. Rachel, you just asked me if I was going to leave you food for the weekend. Princess, you cannot even pick out your own food to eat. And what if you get sick? Besides, last time I left you here, you ran off with Puck. I was not born yesterday, Rachel, and you are only fifteen. That is not old enough to stay at home all weekend by yourself while I am several hours away."

Shelby knew that, given the chance, Rachel would have Puck over to their house in a minute. She was not blind, nor was she born just yesterday. She knew what her daughter wanted.

Shelby could also tell that Rachel was starting to get mad. In fact, Shelby was pretty sure that she was going to throw a fit any minute because she was being forced to spend the weekend at her aunt's home.

And Shelby made a split second decision.

"If you can behave between now and then, and at Aunt Weazy's, I will let you go out on a date with Noah on Saturday. As long as you are back by the time that Aunt Weazy and I discuss, and as long as you call me when you leave and when you get home."

Rachel looked up at her mother.

"Really? Noah and I can go on a date?" Rachel's eyes lit up. It was an excited gleam that Shelby had really never seen in her daughter's eyes before, and she was suddenly glad that she had made the split second choice.

"Yes. You can go on a date with him. But, if I find out that he texts and drives or that your butt wasn't in a seatbelt, I will never let you go with him again. And you will be grounded indefinitely."

"Okay! I promise we will do exactly as you say." Rachel said quickly, excitedly.

"Be sure that you do."

"Okay, I am going to go call Noah!" Rachel said, and then jumped up and ran out of the kitchen and up to her room.

Shelby sighed. She was not ready for this. Had Rachel lived with her forever, she would not be dating at all. She would have had to wait until she was sixteen, at least, and even then it would have depended on whether or not Rachel was mature enough to handle dating. But, Rachel had depended on Noah Puckerman for too much for the last couple of years, and Shelby knew that she could not take that away from Rachel. It wouldn't be fair, and she wasn't going to take the last piece of Rachel's old life that Rachel had. The only piece that she seemed desperate to hold onto.

But she swore, if she found out that Rachel didn't wear her seatbelt in that truck, she would make sure that her daughter didn't even want to think about sitting down. Rachel had no idea just how serious her mother found not wearing a seatbelt was.

Shelby sighed. It would be okay, she knew, but she still was not comfortable with it. Why had she said that Rachel could go on a date?

To make her happy, Shelby realized. To make her daughter happy.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

As the week went on, Rachel tried to behave as well as she could, but it was no secret that she did not quite understand why she had to go spend the weekend at Kate's house.

Shelby had mentioned it to Kate, to prepare her in case Rachel fussed about it after Shelby dropped her off Friday, though Shelby had warned Rachel that her date could easily be taken away if she didn't behave.

Shelby was taking a half day Friday, going in just long enough to make sure that everything was ready with the bus and hotel reservations, and was then going to pick Rachel up so that they could have lunch before heading home and making sure that Rachel had everything that she needed for the weekend, including all of her homework, since it would be too late on Sunday when Shelby picked her up to be worrying about homework that would be due on Monday morning.

Plus, Shelby knew that she was going to miss her daughter and that she was going to want to watch a movie with her or something so that they could have some time together before Rachel had to go to bed at ten on Sunday night.

Rachel was not sure that she liked the fact that she had to spend the weekend with her aunt and uncle and cousins. She was also not sure that her she liked the idea of her mother leaving her. Her mother had not left her overnight since she had moved in with her. Her mother barely left her for more than a few hours at a time.

What if her mother realized that she liked being away from Rachel? Sure, she had been randomly hugging Rachel all week, but what if her mother went away for the weekend, realized that she missed working with Vocal Adrenaline like she had before Rachel…what if she realized that life was easier without Rachel making her miss practices?

Then, if her mother was tired of her, her Aunt Weazy would have no reason to keep her around, and then where would she go?

Rachel knew the only other place, the only other place that she felt truly comfortable, was with Puck.

Puck she understood. Her fathers had loved one another but hated her. They had held one another and kissed one another.

It was the only type relationship that Rachel really understood. It was why she knew that she and Puck had something special. That Puck could comfort her in a way that no one else could.

By Friday afternoon, on their way back home after eating lunch at The Eatery, Rachel was still deep in her own thoughts and feelings. She hadn't really talked to her mother all week, not that Shelby had not tried. Shelby had tried to get Rachel to speak with her, to tell her what was wrong, but Rachel was remaining tight lipped, telling Shelby that nothing was wrong at all.

"Remember, Rachel, you can go on your date with Noah tomorrow, but Aunt Weazy and I both agreed that ten o'clock is when you need to be home. Please do not let me hear about you coming home late. I still want you to call me when you get home, okay?"

"Mama, I know." Rachel said, staring out the window of the moving vehicle.

"I am just reminding you. Aunt Weazy will take you to dance and pick you up. I will be home on Sunday afternoon."

"Can I go to Noah's after dance? I mean, I will already be in Lima. Isn't it a waste of gas to make Noah come and get me at Aunt Weazy's?" Rachel asked suddenly. Shelby sighed.

"Rachel, you will have to get ready for your date."

"I can get ready at Noah's house. Mama, please. His mother will be there until three, which is when he was going to pick me up anyways." Rachel said.

Shelby looked at Rachel out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't know, Rachel."

Rachel sighed.

"Mama. His mom is going to be there. I will go there after dance and get ready. We are going to a movie and to eat at The Eatery. We might go to the mall to walk around. But that was all you approved of us doing. I will be home at ten, preferably before. Please let Noah pick me up after dance." Rachel begged.

Shelby took a deep breath. She had not planned on her daughter being out of commission that long.

"Okay, Rachel. But if I or Aunt Weazy calls, you had better answer the phone, no matter what you are doing. I want a call after dance, when you get to Noah's house, when you leave Noah's house, and then when you get to Aunt Weazy's tomorrow night. You will wear your seatbelt in his car and he will not text while he is driving. Do you understand me, Rachel?"

Rachel looked out the window and rolled her eyes.

"Yea, I understand. Thanks." Rachel said.

Shelby nodded as she pulled into the driveway. She wished she could figure out why Rachel didn't want to stay with Weazy. Why she had asked several times to stay at home by herself.

But, Shelby was not Hiram or Leroy. She was not going to leave her daughter alone for two nights. Especially not when Rachel couldn't cook. Shelby, for the most part, did not have anything in the house that Rachel could not eat except for a few sweets that were her personal weakness, and those things were marked and set on a shelf far out of Rachel's reach.

Still, though, Rachel would ask before she ate anything. Shelby still fixed all of her snacks and meals, and Shelby knew that her daughter was not ready to be left to her own devices. Plus, what if the girl got sick? Shelby was simply just not ready to let Rachel stay at the house by herself.

Soon they were at home and Shelby was checking her own bags while Rachel was stuffing every electronic she could find into hers. She was not going to go to her aunt and uncle's home without something to do. Something that did not involve playing with Aria the entire time she was there, since Aria had already mentioned all the things she wanted Rachel to do with her on the way to school. Sure, she didn't mind playing with the little girl, but definitely not the entire time she was there.

"Rachel, are you ready?" Shelby asked as she walked into Rachel's room.

Rachel zipped up the suitcase her mother had given her to use, and then turned around and nodded.

"Yea, I am ready." Rachel said, though she caught the sight of her rabbit out of the corner of her eye. She swallowed. Could she keep her rabbit hidden from everyone if she packed it?

Shelby noticed her daughter's eyes cut over to her pillows, her rabbit's ear sticking out from under the pillow. Shelby went up to the suitcase and unzipped it to take a look inside.

Shelby shook her head. Every electronic her daughter owned was in her suitcase, but there was barely enough clothes to last the entire weekend.

"Princess, you need to pack extra clothes, just in case. And, what about tampons? You are due to start soon." Shelby said. She had started paying much closer attention to Rachel's cycle so that she would know when her daughter needed supplies. She also found herself packing the supplies in Rachel's bag since she knew that Rachel had not had any with her the last time she had started.

"Not for like another week or so. I don't need them." Rachel said quickly.

"Just in case, Rachel. You never know when you might start early. I just want you to be prepared."

Rachel sighed.

"Yea. Fine." Rachel walked into her bathroom and grabbed a nearly empty box of tampons and threw them into her suitcase.

"You also need more than one pair of socks and two pairs of panties. I know you are going to be there for two nights, but, Princess, I help you with your laundry. You shower twice on Saturdays and sometimes in the middle of the day on Sundays. You need at least four pairs of panties and socks. You need to add another bra in here. Also, sleep pants. You need to wear pants while you are there, even though I know that you don't like it. Do you have your dance bag packed?"

Rachel nodded and then went to her dresser and pulled out armful of underwear, socks, and bras, then chunked them in her suitcase.

Shelby rolled her eyes and then worked to move the items to the netted zipper section so that she could make sure that Rachel had everything else she needed.

"Do you have what you want to wear on your date?"

"Yes. It is on the bottom. Here are my sleep pants." Rachel said, handing over a pair of cotton shorts that had golden stars all over them. Shelby had never seen Rachel wear them, but normally Rachel didn't wear pants to bed.

"Okay, I think that you are set." Shelby said, leaning over and grabbing Rachel's rabbit when her back was turned and quickly putting it in her suitcase before zipping it up.

"Here you go, Princess. I need to go grab my bag and then I will be downstairs, okay?"

"Okay." Rachel said, grabbing her suitcase and heading towards the stairs.

Shelby bent over to Rachel's nightstand and grabbed _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ to stick in her own packed suitcase.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby pulled Kate and Parker into the kitchen while Rachel and Aria went upstairs to the guest room to put her suitcase up. Shelby had a feeling that Rachel was going to have a shadow this weekend.

"Weazy, I told her that she could have Noah pick her up after dance tomorrow as long as he dropped her off here by ten tomorrow night. She is going to call me at various times, and if you want her to call you, tell her. She will do it. She knows the rules and curfew."

Kate looked at Shelby a bit shocked.

"I don't mind getting her from dance."

"No, that is okay. I need to loosen the reins on her a little bit. Besides, by the time that she gets out of dance and comes back here, she will only have less than an hour before Noah comes to pick her up. Noah might as well save the gas. Especially since it is winter and he doesn't get to clean as many pools or hot tubs during the winter. I also wanted to talk to you guys about something." Shelby said, looking around to make sure that none of the kids were listening to her.

"Sure, Shells, what is it?" Parker asked.

"Last week when Rachel had me pick her up from school, she wasn't really sick like I thought. I haven't really told you guys about this because I wasn't sure that I was going too. But, since she is going to be here this weekend, and you guys are around her a lot in general, I thought I would go ahead and tell you." Shelby paused.

"Go on, baby girl, what happened?" Kate said gently.

"She thought that being sick or getting into trouble were the only times that I would comfort her. She was afraid to ask. It…it really hurts that she was afraid to ask me for a simple hug. So, instead of her seeking one out, I randomly give her hugs throughout the day. I…if she will let you, I would appreciate it if you would hug her. I am not sure how she feels about me leaving this weekend, but if she needs me, I don't care what time it is, let her call me. Is she starts acting up, call me then too…"

Kate reached over and laid her hand on Shelby's arm and silenced her.

"Baby girl, she will be okay. I know this is the first time that you have left her, but she is with us, she will be fine. She will behave and if she doesn't, I have a corner with her name on it and your cell phone number. I am sure that we can even spare some hugs." Kate finished with a grin.

"Shut up, Weazy." Shelby mumbled as she blushed, then looked up at her sister, whose eyebrow was raised.

Shelby swallowed.

"Sorry. I am nervous about leaving her. She hasn't spent the night away from me since I got her."

"I know, baby girl. She will be fine. However, if you do not go tell her good bye, you are going to be late."

Shelby sighed and nodded as Kate walked out of the room, noticing Parker smirking at her. She knew exactly why he was smirking at her.

"Oh shut it, Parker. I may be thirty-four, but that eyebrow still sends chills up my back. Besides, I only told Weazy to shut up once in my teenage years, and I regretted it immediately." She whispered to him.

"I am sure you did." Parker said and laughed loudly. Shelby rolled her eyes. Parker had not been around during her teenage years, but had come into their lives when she was about twenty-one. He had definitely been witness to some of the Shelby/Kate battles though, and Shelby never won. Parker hadn't seen one of those battles in years though. Not a true one, at least.

"Oh shove it, Park."

Soon, Shelby was hugging Rachel and kissing her head outside on the porch.

"I love you, princess. Behave, follow the rules, and I will be back on Sunday. Call me if you need to talk to me, any time. Okay?"

"Okay, Mama." Rachel whispered, leaning into her mother and breathing in her scent deeply.

Shelby straightened up and took a step backwards, but Rachel grabbed her sleeve and looked up.

Shelby looked down into the huge, doe like eyes of her daughter.

"You promise that you are going to come back?" Rachel whispered.

Shelby reached up and pushed some of Rachel's hair back behind her ear.

"I will never not come back to you, Rachel. Nothing can keep me away from you. I love you. Call me later tonight, okay? I should be at the hotel by ten, but if you need me before that, call me anyways."

Rachel nodded and let go of Shelby's sleeve.

"I love you, Mama."

Shelby smiled and kissed her daughter's head one more time before she had to leave.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

By supper that night, Rachel wanted to go home. She had played with Aria before dinner for more than an hour, singing quietly to the little girl who loved to hear Rachel sing into her ear while she was sitting in Rachel's lap. Dinner was an interesting affair for the family as well.

Though Rachel knew that her aunt knew what she could and could not have, Rachel still picked through her food. She was not really fond of all of her aunt's cooking, and she was not about to eat any meat that her aunt cooked.

Her aunt, however, had other ideas.

"Rachel, honey, your mom said that today was one of the days that you eat meat." Kate said as she cut up the pork she had cooked for Aria.

"I don't want any of it. My mom didn't cook it." Rachel said, moving her mashed potatoes around and then smelling them. It was the only thing on her plate. She hated peas and she had recently discovered that she detested corn as well.

"Rachel, you should eat more than mashed potatoes." Kate said.

"Mama doesn't make me eat things that I don't want to eat. I don't want to eat that meat because I never have and I don't want to get sick."

Kate dropped the subject after that. Shelby had told her how sick Rachel had gotten after eating fried chicken. The poor girl had barely been able to move without getting sick, and Shelby had had to stay up with her all night. She didn't want to push it.

"Aunt Weazy, can we go pick up something at my house? I left something there." Rachel said. Aria was watching her every move, and was only eating her mashed potatoes. This didn't go unnoticed by Parker or Kate.

Parker nearly laughed when he watched his tiny daughter scoop her meat into her hands and put it on Melody's plate.

"Aria! Stop that! Eat your food. What is it that you forgot, Rachel?"

Rachel watched Aria and grinned, but tried to hide it from her aunt.

"I need my other iPod. The ones I have are not the ones I want." Rachel said, taking a bite of her potatoes.

Rachel saw her uncle hide his mouth with his napkin when she said that.

Kate looked at Rachel.

"Are you serious, Rachel?"

"Well, yea. I want my other one. I brought two, but I thought I grabbed all of them and didn't."

Rachel saw her uncle try to hide his laughter again. Rachel somehow knew that he wasn't laughing at her. He was laughing at the look on Kate's face.

"No, Rachel. You can do without for a few days." Kate said and went back to eating her food.

Rachel looked over at Parker and smiled then winked at him. He could see the mischief in her eyes.

"Aunt Weazy?"

"Yes, Rachel?"

"I forgot my favorite brush too. Can we go get that?"

Kate froze, a forkful of mashed potatoes in midair.

She eyed her niece carefully.

"I also forgot to grab my favorite sleep pants."

At that, Parker burst into laughter. His wife was still staring at Rachel and Rachel was trying really hard to not laugh.

"You don't even sleep in pants at home. How can you have a favorite pair?"

Rachel did laugh at that.

"I was just messing with you, Aunt Weazy. I don't need any of that stuff."

Kate just shook her head as Rachel looked at Parker and laughed along with him. Kate just smiled and shook her head.

"Can I use one of your iPods, Rach?" Melody asked suddenly. The two girls had a serious love hate relationship, but Shelby and Kate both figured that it was because they were both at that age and treated one another like siblings, even if they didn't realize it.

"Sure. You can get it after we eat."

Melody smiled and nodded. She had been getting more and more into music, and she was positive that Rachel probably had a lot of music that she could listen too.

"Thanks, Rachel!" Melody said with a wide smile.

Parker and Kate looked at one another and smiled. They were really glad that Melody and Rachel were having one of their good days. On their bad days, the adults had to all make sure that the two girls were separated as much as possible because their bickering could really get tiring.

Before long, dinner was over and Rachel and Melody made their way up the stairs to the guest room where Rachel was staying. Aria was not far behind them, not wanting to be left out of anything that her 'Wachel' was doing.

Rachel dug through her suitcase and pulled out her newest iPod. It was loaded with pretty much everything that Rachel loved. She thought that Melody might like some of it.

"Here you go."

"Wachel, I wanna listen. Please!"

Rachel looked down at Aria's big eyes. Rachel realized at that moment that Aria could probably ask her for anything and she would give in.

"I have one you can listen too." Rachel said, grabbing a different iPod, the one that held her Broadway tunes, and turned it on. She stuffed the ear buds in the little girl's ears and handed the iPod to her. Aria smiled and then ran out of the room. Rachel silently wondered if she would ever get that iPod back.

"She will probably fall asleep soon. Want to go watch a movie in the living room?" Melody asked Rachel as she ran her fingers gently over the iPod her big cousin had just let her borrow.

"Sure."

Soon, the two were lying in the living room, watching a movie, Parker and Kate sitting in the kitchen. Aria was soon asleep, the music from Rachel's iPod lulling her into the deepest sleep she had ever slept.

She would forever be in love with Broadway tunes.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel waited until ten to call her mother. She was in bed, uncomfortable because of the stupid shorts that were bunching up, her rabbit, which she had stuffed under her pillow the minute that she had opened her suitcase so that Melody wouldn't see it, pressed firmly against her stomach.

She had her phone in her free hand and hit call.

"_Hello, Princess."_

Rachel immediately started to whimper.

"_Rachel, princess, what is wrong?"_

"I want you to come home." Rachel sobbed quietly into the phone.

On the other line, Shelby, who had just walked into her hotel room after getting her students in their rooms, felt her heart drop.

"_Princess, what is wrong?"_

"I want you to come home."

"_Princess, I will be home on Sunday. You know that I have to be here. We talked about it. Is something else bothering you?"_

"I want us both to be home." Rachel whispered. She was missing her mother and she hadn't realized how much until she had laid down and the woman had not been there to tuck her in like she normally did. She also knew that her mother would not be there to check up on her during the night like she always did, even if she thought that Rachel didn't know she did it.

"_Oh sweetheart…"_

"You promised that you would hug me whenever I wanted. I want you to come home."

"_I would be there if I could. I think that I have something that might make you feel better." _

Rachel sniffed.

"What?"

"_Are you comfy? In bed, with rabbit tucked against your belly?" _

"Yea." Rachel said, a few tears slipping down her face. Several hours away, Shelby pulled the book she had packed and brought with her closer to her and opened it to the marked place.

"_Chapter 9… The Writing on the Wall…"_

Shelby read to Rachel for the next forty-five minutes, until Rachel's deep breathing told Shelby that she was asleep.

"_I love you, Princess."_ Shelby whispered.

At that moment, Kate came in to check on Rachel, and noticed that her phone was on but had slipped from her hand.

Kate picked it up and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Weazy. Is Rachel sleeping?"_

"Yes. How long have you been talking to her?" Kate asked quietly as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Shelby heard the door click on her end.

"_Don't close her door, Weazy. Leave it at least cracked."_

Kate opened the door several inches and then walked further down the hallway.

"_She wanted me to come home. I thought she might. I was reading to her from the book I read to her when she wants me too. I brought it with me just in case."_

Kate smiled.

"You are a good mama, Shelby."

On the other end, Shelby smiled. Those words meant a lot coming from Kate.

Her Weazy.

Her mother.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The next day, Rachel was even more upset about her mother being gone. She had barely said anything to her aunt or uncle, and had only talked to Melody and Aria a little bit. Aria was literally attached to the iPod that Rachel had let her borrow and Rachel wondered if she would ever get it back. Surprisingly, she was okay with not getting it back. Aria loved it. Rachel had a sneaking suspicion that Melody loved the one she was using as well. Rachel had another one at home, so it was not that big a deal to her, despite how much she truly did love her electronics.

Kate had taken her to dance that morning after breakfast and reminded of her of the rules and when she needed to be back to her house. Plus, the fact that she needed to make sure she called her mother. Rachel had merely nodded and climbed out of the car.

Puck then picked her up from dance, she had called her mother, though had been short in her replies before quickly saying bye and hanging up, then she had showered, and soon the two of them had gotten ready to go out to an earlier movie and late lunch.

Now, though, they were back at Puck's house. It was six at night, and Puck's mom was at work and his sister was at a friend's house. They were lying side by side and merely talking to one another, Rachel's head resting on Noah's bare chest. Rachel had texted her mother to tell them that they were at the movies, not wanting her mother to tell her that she needed to go home since they had gone out earlier. She wanted to spend all the time she could with Puck.

"Your mom's gonna be back tomorrow?"

"Yea. I am ready for her to be back. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could have stayed at home and you could have come and stayed with me. I love Aunt Weazy and Uncle Parker and Aria and Melody, but I don't fit in there. There is always too much going on. I am used to it just being me and my mom now. Before that I was used to it just being me or me and you."

Puck ran his fingers through her hair.

"Yea, I bet. Hannah has been talking about Melody. Apparently they are friends at school."

Rachel sat up and looked at Puck. She loved him. They never needed words to know what the other was feeling. They matched one another perfectly.

She loved him so much. The only functioning relationships that she had ever really seen before she went to live with her mother were between couples. Maybe Puck was the only person in the world who could comfort her the way she wanted and needed. She had had Puck even when her fathers were not around. Puck had been the one constant in her life socially for years. He was her companion.

He had comforted her so many times and she him.

Maybe Puck was the comfort she had been searching for all along. Maybe she couldn't find what she was looking for in her mother like she thought she could. Maybe that was not what or who she needed at all.

Rachel crawled around and then threw a leg over Puck and straddling his hips, facing him.

She studied him as he studied her.

"Noah…" Rachel whispered.

Puck looked up at her, raising a hand to gently brush a piece of hair out of her face.

"Yes?"

Rachel took a deep breath and looked at her boyfriend. Her Puck. Her _Noah. _

"Noah, I am ready."

* * *

**AN: Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you liked the update…I have been pretty sick, so I am behind now. I have no idea when the next update will be. I need to catch back up.**

**To answer some questions:**

**Mwoodscc: I wish you had an account so that I could talk to you…your reviews always make me smile, and I love how long they are. It is hard to answer all of your questions on here, but I am going to try and answer ones that are most frequently asked by quite a few people. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, ask them, and I will try to answer them at the end of the next chapter. **

**Therapy, will Rachel get sent to therapy by Shelby? The answer to this is actually not simple. Yes, Rachel has issues, issues that she is slowly coming to terms with and will be for quite some time, but therapy is not something that Shelby is going to put her through. Mother and daughter are working through things at their own pace. They need time to adjust. Right now, if Shelby sent Rachel to therapy, to Rachel it would be the ultimate act of betrayal. To Rachel, it would seem like Shelby is trying to hoist her off on someone else and doesn't want to deal with her, making her mother just like her fathers. Rachel is simply not going to go for therapy, and she might never trust Shelby if Shelby tries to make her. Shelby might talk about it to Maribel or Kate, but she will never bring it up with Rachel. Quinn, on the other hand, if Maribel were to try and go that route, would be able to accept therapy for what it is. She won't be going either, though she and Rachel will soon discover some things about themselves together in a very unconventional way. **

**Why does Rachel act so childish at times? Rachel has raised herself. Yes, she has had to make adult decisions in a sense, but she still has trouble doing the simplest of things. She is also ONLY fifteen. She has been figuring out how to get food for herself in the only way she knew how since she was ten. She has simply had to make do and her maturity level is not where it should be. She is also adamant that she follows her schedule, be damned with everyone else, which is partly why she is always getting herself into trouble. She doesn't think before she acts. Again, though, she is only fifteen, and a young fifteen at that, with learned behaviors that Shelby is going to have to slowly change. **

**Singing. A lot of you want me to have Rachel sing because she loves it so much. She does love to sing, but she was taught by her fathers never to sing at home. It is a learned behavior. She still whisper sings to Aria, even though she has been told that she can sing if she wants. Melody fighting with her that first day did not help either. And, yes, Rachel loves glee, but right now, that is not at the forefront of her mind. She is dealing with being left by her fathers, adjusting to her mother and her mother's rules, and there is a lot more that is fixing to happen that will put singing towards the back of Rachel's mind. However, there will be more back story about her singing, her fathers, and her dreams to be on Broadway, and she and Shelby will eventually sing together I am sure. **

**Her fathers: there will be more back story there as the story goes on. In fact, you will learn a lot in a couple of chapters about them from Rachel's POV. Rachel's fathers were, in many ways, much crueler than Quinn's father, though they never hit her. They would have acted no differently had Rachel been a boy. Again, more of this will come out later. **

**Why is Melody mean to Rachel? Melody feels threatened by Rachel in a way, but, honestly, they are more like siblings: they fight, they make up, then fight some more. It will be like that for quite some time. They are close in age and both in new situations. It happens. **

**I have also had a lot of people ask about Mercedes and why she is the way she is. She has a fine home life. She is just fickle and jealous of Rachel for reasons that will eventually come out, more than likely. Everything in this story is not going to come out all at once. Rachel and Mercedes will never get along though. **

**Puck and Rachel: They are going to have some ups and downs, but they truly do care for one another. **

**Rachel, Santana, and Quinn: They will be friends forever now. They will also have some ups and downs though. Santana has trouble understanding things from Rachel and Quinn's POV sometimes, and it might eventually cause a few issues amongst the trio. **

**The birth control pills: Rachel wanted to be ready just in case she and Puck… I think there has been some confusion over this. Rachel was on birth control pills before she came to live with Shelby. They were taped under her sink, hidden from her fathers, so they did not pack them with the rest of her stuff, which is why she told Shelby she needed them refilled and Shelby did not question it because she might be Rachel's mother, but she is still unsure in a lot of areas. It is not something that is going to happen overnight after fifteen years. Bonding is going to take time.**

**Skipping school: On the show, I feel like most of the teachers at McKinley are idiots, as is the principal. I do not think that it would be hard to skip classes at all. Rachel makes good grades, what do they care? I am pretty sure Puck skips classes regardless. **

**Rachel snaps at her mother a lot because she doesn't understand the role her mother has. It is hard for her. Rachel has never had a female caregiver really. She has rarely had a caregiver at all, and never one who had rules and wanted to know what she was doing all the time like her mother does. **

**OKAY, that is all the questions/comments I am going to make right now, but please, anyone who has a question, let me know and I will be more than happy to answer them:)**


	26. The Comfort She Needs

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Comfort She Needs**

Rachel walked through the door of her aunt and uncle's house and quietly shut it behind her. She saw her aunt and uncle in the living room, but she went up the stairs and into the guest room, shutting the door behind her as quickly as she could. Both her aunt and her uncle had been randomly hugging her since the day before and she was not in the mood for one of their impromptu hugs at the moment. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother's number from memory instead of looking for her name.

"_Hey, Princess. Did you have fun on your date?" _Shelby asked as soon as she picked up the phone.

"Fine. I was just letting you know that I was back at Aunt Weazy and Uncle Parker's." Rachel said quietly.

"_Rachel, is everything okay?"_ Shelby could tell that Rachel sounded off. Surely the girl didn't get into any trouble with Kate. She had been doing so well at Kate's so far.

"Everything is fine. I am tired. So, I am going to go to bed. Bye." Rachel said, and hung up the phone before her mother had a chance to say anything else. Rachel needed to think. She needed to think and sleep.

Rachel grabbed her pajamas and went across the hall to the bathroom. She wanted…needed… a shower before she went to bed.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Shelby stared at her phone for several minutes. What in the world had just happened? Rachel was not herself, that was for sure. Shelby had expected to hear from Rachel a few minutes after ten. She had expected for Rachel to tell her all about her date with Puck. She had expected a lot of things, but not whatever it was that had just happened.

What she had gotten instead was a sullen Rachel. More sullen that she had been the night before, when she had asked Shelby to come back home. Something was not right. Something was nagging at Shelby's brain, telling her that her daughter was not okay.

Shelby hit Kate's name, and her sister picked up after two rings.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Weazy. I just got off the phone with Rachel…does she seem…off to you?"

"_I haven't talked to her since she walked in the house. She came in and walked straight up the stairs. She is taking a shower now."_

"Will you see if she will talk to you when she gets out? She was really upset last night when I talked to her. Maybe I should have come home. Maybe I should have canceled the invitational."

"_No, you shouldn't have. She will be okay, Shelly. I am sure she is just tired. It has been a long day for her. She got up early this morning, and then spent the day at dance and with Noah."_

"No. There is something else wrong. I just want you to check on her, Weazy."

"_I will, Shelly. I promise. I will see if she will talk to me. I know that she is ready to be home. I think that she misses you."_

Shelby smiled. She missed Rachel too. She was ready to be home with her. One thing this trip had done for her was to solidify in her mind some of the choices she was going to make at the end of the year.

"I am quitting Caramel after Nationals." Shelby said suddenly out of the blue.

On the other end, Kate was silent for several seconds. She had expected it, but to hear it come out of Shelby's mouth made it real.

Shelby's eyes widened.

She had finally made her decision. The right one, she realized.

"Weazy, I am quitting Caramel." The realization was truly there. She would no longer work at Caramel after this year. She couldn't. Her daughter needed her too much. She could not care for her daughter and coach show choir at the same time and give both the time and attention that they needed.

And, honestly, since Rachel had come into her life, she didn't care about show choir nearly as much as she had before.

The love for her daughter, though, only grew more with each passing day.

"_I am proud of you, Shelly. I am so proud of you."_

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Kate told Shelby that she would bring Rachel home, so the two were in the car, having left Aria and Melody at home with Parker.

After trying to round up all of her things, Rachel had called both Aria and Melody into her room and told them that they could keep the iPods she had leant them. Both had hugged her several times. Rachel had even left one of her chargers there with the two girls because she knew that the iPod Aria was constantly walking around with was going to lose battery life soon.

Rachel just wanted to get home. She wanted to see her mother. She wanted to lie in her own bed.

She wanted to cry.

They pulled into the driveway and Rachel was glad to see that her mother was already there. Rachel got out of the car and then opened the back door and grabbed her bag. She was so glad to be home. It wasn't that she hated her aunt's house; it was that she didn't fit. There was always something going on there.

Rachel walked through the front door and was immediately engulfed in a hug. For several seconds, she leaned into the hug and breathed in the scent of her mother.

Then she remembered.

She remembered all of the feelings that she had felt over the weekend.

Rachel pushed herself off of her mother and quickly turned around to head up the stairs, pulling her suitcase with her. She wouldn't have bothered with the suitcase if her rabbit wasn't in it.

Downstairs, Shelby was perplexed. What in the world was going on with Rachel?

Shelby looked up at Kate.

"I have no idea, Shelly. She has been like that since she got home last night. I went in to check on her after I got off the phone last night with you, but she was pretending to sleep. This morning she wouldn't talk to anyone but Aria, and then right before we left, she talked to Melody in the guest room for a while. She has not said two words to me or Parker really. Friday she was a completely different kid, Shelly. She was joking with Parker and playing with the girls. She wouldn't eat anything. Apparently, my food is not as good as her mama's." Kate said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Shelby smiled, but her thoughts were still upstairs with her daughter. She really needed to know what Rachel's deal was.

"Has she eaten supper yet? It is nearly seven." Shelby asked as she looked at her watch.

Kate shook her head.

"No. I tried. She wouldn't eat. She also hasn't had any meat this weekend. She said that she didn't want to get sick trying something new at my house."

"Yes, that fried chicken seriously put her off of trying things outside of the house. She was in the bathroom all night, bless her heart. I will fix her something to eat after I talk to her."

Soon, Kate was gone and Shelby was looking in the kitchen for something that she could fix quickly for supper. She had to think before she went up and talked to Rachel. She was literally at a loss for what could be wrong, so her only hope was to get Rachel to talk.

Shelby started a light soup, knowing that since it was getting late, anything heavy would not sit well in Rachel's stomach. That was another hard lesson they had learned through trial and error.

Putting the soup on to simmer, Shelby made her way up to Rachel's room and walked through the open door when she saw Rachel laying on her bed, her rabbit tucked against her, dressed in a tank top and a pair of panties. There was a pair of ear buds in her ears.

Shelby went over to Rachel's bed and sat on the edge of it, patting Rachel's leg to get her attention and have her sit up.

Rachel opened her eyes and took her ear buds out of her ears.

She looked expectantly at her mother, but her eyes were sad and Shelby could tell it.

"What is going on, Princess?" Shelby asked gently.

Rachel swallowed and looked towards her window.

"Nothing. I am just glad to be home." Rachel whispered.

"I am glad that we are both home. Was it that bad staying with Aunt Weazy?" Shelby asked.

Rachel felt bad almost instantly, tears clouding her eyes.

"No. I just wanted to be home. There is too much going on over there. Aria was always asking questions and Melody was always doing something, or fighting with Aria. Aunt Weazy was always asking me questions and Uncle Parker was too. The even kept hugging me at random times. Once I came out of the bathroom and Aunt Weazy just hugged me. It was just too much. It is quiet here with me and you, and if I don't want to talk you don't keep trying to make me like they were. It was too loud."

"Yea, I am sure that it was. Rachel, you do understand why I couldn't come back on Friday night, don't you?" Shelby asked softly.

Rachel sniffed.

"You had to stay with your students. I understand."

"Then can you tell me what is wrong?"

"I just had a really long weekend." Rachel whispered, and then turned to her side, clutching her rabbit to her side tightly.

"I made some soup; why don't you come down and eat some?"

"I will come down in a little bit." Rachel said quietly.

"Okay, Princess." Shelby said, standing up and then leaning over to kiss her daughter's forehead.

"I love you, Princess. So much. Please don't be afraid to talk to me. Ever."

It was in that instance that Rachel suddenly realized something she had missed.

The comfort she had sought out from Puck was not the comfort she had wanted.

She had just wanted to be comforted, true. But, something had kept telling her that the only one who could truly give her the comfort she needed was Puck.

But, that wasn't so.

In truth, she only wanted to be comforted in a way that only her mother could comfort her. She had thought Puck would fill that void.

But there was no way he could. He was just like her. Two neglected, sad teenagers. Two neglected, sad teenagers didn't make them whole. It didn't make them complete. It didn't make it possible for them to replace the parental needs that they both had. It didn't make it right that they had both been raising themselves for so long.

Only, now, Rachel was not raising herself. Not anymore. She hadn't been doing a good job of it anyways. She knew it. Her mother knew it.

Rachel was glad that her mother was no longer in her room because the realization of that fact made her break out into silent, body shaking sobs as she clutched tightly to the rabbit that had always been a comfort to her.

At the moment, she wished that she was the rabbit, and her mother was her.

She just wished that she was being held by her mother.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was lying in her bed at ten and couldn't sleep. She had gone down and ate, but hadn't talked to her mother at all, choosing instead to concentrate on her soup, and then she went upstairs and laid there until her mom came in and tucked her in at nine since she was already in bed.

Rachel could tell that her mother was shocked she was in bed because Shelby didn't usually make her go to bed until ten. Usually, she even had to be told several times that it was her bedtime before she would reluctantly crawl in between the covers.

But, Rachel had been deep in her thoughts.

She had watched her mother go to her own room from her bed, and she had watched when the bedside lamp had been shut off forty-five minutes later.

For fifteen minutes the light had been off. Rachel had not stopped staring at the two open doorways. Her door and her mother's door. They were never shut, not since the first night that Rachel had spent with Shelby.

Rachel suddenly realized that her mother's doorway was never shut. _Never_. She always left it open for Rachel.

Tentatively, Rachel grabbed her rabbit and slid out of her bed. She took a deep breath and walked to her doorway where she took another deep breath.

Then she crossed the hallway, and she knew that she had to do this. That she didn't have a choice. She _needed_ to do this.

A tear slipped down Rachel's cheek as she stepped in her mother's room and then over to the bed.

She had never watched her mother sleep, never seen her lay around in her bed.

Rachel thought that her mother was asleep, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her mother's room, she realized that her mother's eyes were opened and looking up at her.

"Princess?" Shelby asked. She had been lying in her room, thinking, trying to figure out what was wrong with her daughter. To say that she was surprised that Rachel was in her room at that moment was an understatement. Rachel was so hard to crack sometimes that she was definitely surprised.

"Can I lay with you?" Rachel whimpered, tears evident in her voice despite the fact that Shelby could not see them in the darkness.

Shelby immediately pulled the quilt and sheet back so that Rachel could crawl into bed with her.

"Of course, Princess." Shelby said.

Rachel crawled into her mother's bed and, with her rabbit tucked against her stomach, molded herself into her mother's body. Rachel laid her head on Shelby's chest and broke into sobs nearly instantly.

Shelby immediately wrapped her left arm over her daughter and pulled her closer. This was not like Rachel at all. Shelby was really starting to worry. Rachel was often emotional, but nothing like this.

"Princess, please talk to me." Shelby whispered into Rachel's hair, repeatedly kissing her daughter's head.

"I don't want you to hate me." Rachel sobbed.

Shelby didn't move. She continued to hold Rachel close, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Nothing you could ever do would make me hate you, Princess. Nothing."

"I need you. I need you to hold me and to not hate me. I didn't know it. I didn't know that I needed you. I thought that the only comfort I needed was Noah's comfort because I have never had a parent who cared. But, Mama, I was wrong. I was so wrong. I need you. You are who I have always needed. And now I have messed up so badly and you are going to hate me so much." Rachel sobbed harder.

"Rachel, honey, I will literally never hate you. Ever. You are my heart and soul. Without you, I was nothing. I was literally void of feeling before you came back into my life. There was never a day that went by that I didn't think of you and want you…I need you, Rachel. You are…you are my _everything_." Shelby said quietly into Rachel's ear.

Rachel raised her rabbit up and wiped her tears with the poor stuffed creature.

Shelby reached down and tilted Rachel's head up so that she could look into Rachel's eyes.

They were red and swollen, a few tears slipping down Rachel's cheeks.

"Tell what has you so upset, what has you so afraid about what I am going to think."

Rachel's chin quivered.

"Talk to me, baby." Shelby whispered.

Rachel swallowed and looked into her mother's eyes. Eyes full of concern.

And something else.

Love.

"Mama…"

"Go on, Princess…"

Rachel sniffed again.

"Mama, I had sex with Noah for the first time last night." Rachel whispered.

And with that declaration, Rachel broke into renewed sobs.

And, Shelby held her even closer. She sat up and moved them both around so that she could wrap both of her arms around Rachel and could hold her tightly.

A thousand thoughts were running through Shelby's mind. The first was that this was her baby. Her baby who only just turned fifteen and still liked to be read to at night. She was her baby who still slept with a stuffed rabbit, a rabbit that was clutched in her hand at that very moment.

But Shelby was, despite being disappointed in the situation, proud that her daughter had not kept this to herself, that instead, Rachel had come to her.

Shelby rubbed her back.

"Princess, it is going to be okay. Talk to me, Rachel. Talk to me about whatever you want to talk about. I love you no matter what, you need to remember that."

"I figured it out, Mama." Rachel was still sobbing. Shelby could feel Rachel's tears on her skin.

"What did you figure out?" Shelby's tone was soft. She knew that this was a delicate situation, and the relationship that she had with her daughter could forever be determined by how this conversation went.

"I thought that I just needed love. In general love. I thought that since Noah has always been there for me that he was what I needed…but, he wasn't. I know he loves me, and I love him, but it wasn't the type of love I needed."

"What did you find out, Princess?"

"I just need you! I realized that while I was out searching for what I thought I needed, that I had it at home…here…all along. And now I have disappointed you. I am so sorry, Mama!" Rachel's sobs were renewed and louder than before. Shelby continued to rub Rachel's back.

"I am not disappointed in you, Rachel. I love you. I told you earlier that you can tell me anything. I want to be here for you, Rachel. You are my daughter."

"But I had sex with Noah. You didn't even want us to take a nap together."

"Baby, even so, what's done is done. I want to make sure that _you _are okay. I want you to talk to me."

"It wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I thought it would be magical, and I would feel complete and loved. Mama, it wasn't like that."

Shelby held Rachel close to her and let her talk. Shelby knew Rachel and she knew that she was fixing to hear some things that she did not necessarily feel ready to hear, but she would listen and she would offer all the comfort that Rachel needed.

"Mama, it hurt a little bit." Rachel whispered and her sobs were renewed again.

Shelby sighed inwardly at the hurt her baby was suffering through, both physical and emotional.

"I wasn't expecting it to hurt. He went slow, but still. I wasn't as ready as I thought I was. It was weird, and he tried, but…I don't know."

Yes, Shelby definitely was not ready to hear what her baby had to tell her.

"Rachel, sweetie, did you use protection?"

Rachel lifted her head off of her mother's chest and looked at her awkwardly for a moment.

"You know that I am on birth control."

"I know, Princess, but did you use a condom anyways?" Shelby asked her.

Rachel shook her head and laid her head down, thinking that it didn't matter. Shelby knew that she would have to address that matter, but now was not the time. Now was the time to make sure that Rachel was okay.

She already knew that she was going to call them both in the next day. They needed to spend some quality time together and Shelby knew that she needed to talk about some things with Rachel. Right now, she wanted Rachel to be able to talk to her. To tell her anything and everything that she wanted.

"I don't think Noah was ready." Rachel whispered.

That got Shelby's attention.

"What do you mean, Princess?"

Rachel sniffed and with her free hand started playing with the ring that always sat on Shelby's finger.

"I told him that I was ready. It was my decision. Noah…I think he was upset afterwards because when he held me, I felt a tear fall down on my shoulder. I didn't cry, not until I got to my room at Aunt Weazy's. I didn't want him to think that I regretted it. I bled at little, too. I think that might have freaked him out a little. Neither of us knew that was going to happen. Did you know that would happen? Does that always happen?"

Shelby continued to hold Rachel close to her.

"Sometimes that happens during your first time." Shelby said, though, honestly she was surprised that it had happened to Rachel because she was so active in dance. Usually being active in such sports would cause the hymen to already be broken. But Rachel was so tiny to begin with, maybe hers had not.

Shelby wanted to cry right along with her daughter. Honestly, she had thought that Rachel might have already have had sex with Noah, but had not asked her.

Shelby wanted to kick herself in the ass for not asking Rachel more in depth questions when she had gotten her the prescriptions of birth control pills. Their relationship had been too new though. Too unsure.

That was all fixing to change though. Shelby was no longer going to be afraid to question her daughter about anything.

"He held me after. I still felt so lost. I was sore. I was afraid."

"Why were you afraid, Rachel?"

"Because, all I could think about was you finding out. That is why I didn't want to talk to you on the phone Saturday night. I was upset."

"I could tell that you were upset." Shelby whispered.

"I am sorry that I hung up on you."

"It's okay. Though, I would suggest you not doing it in the future." Shelby said, kissing Rachel's head again.

"This doesn't mean that I don't love Noah." Rachel whispered in a tone almost so low that Shelby couldn't hear her.

"I know. You and Noah have something special, Rachel."

"Are you sure that you are not angry? After we had sex, I just wanted you. I wanted you to come home and hold me because you said you would hold me whenever I asked. But then, I knew you weren't home and I couldn't have you…and…Mama, I am so sorry." Rachel sobbed again, pushing her face further into her mother.

Shelby rubbed Rachel's back. She felt horrible that she had not been able to be home when her daughter had needed her.

Shelby knew, though, that she just had to ride out the rest of the school year, and then she would be able to be there every single second that her daughter needed her.

"Rachel, honey, I know that you are sorry, but you do not need to be sorry. I don't want you to be upset any longer, Princess."

"I can't help it. I had something else in my mind when I told him I was ready, Mama, but I knew…I knew the minute we started, when he started entering….I just knew that I was wrong and that I was going to need you. I am so afraid though. I am afraid now that I told you, that you will look at me differently. That you won't want to read to me or hold me. That I finally made the mistake that is going to make you want to leave me. I am so stupid." Rachel cried. Rachel brought her rabbit up again and wiped her eyes. Shelby caught her hand before she had a chance to wipe the poor, defenseless rabbit across her nose.

Shelby reached over to her nightstand and grabbed several tissues and then went to work wiping Rachel's eyes and then her nose. Shelby then tossed the used tissues back on her nightstand and wrapped her arms around Rachel.

"You, Rachel Barbra, are not stupid. You took a step that you were not ready to take. A step taken too soon does not define who you are. You are brilliant, smart, beautiful, and most of all, you are _my daughter. _I am not mad at you. Do I want to talk to you about it? Of course, but tonight, I want you to talk to me. Tell me what your fears are, what you are feeling. About having sex with Noah, about staying with Aunt Kate, about our relationship. I want you to talk to me about anything and everything."

Rachel sniffed, but reached her hand up and pulled her mother's larger hand down so that she could hold it against her chest.

"I love you, and I am so afraid that one day you are going to realize that I am not good enough. That one day, you are going to realize that you hate me like they did. Only, they knew they hated me for a long time. I spent all the time alone or with Noah. They were never home. They came to Sectionals only because it was my birthday. But, then I guess they saw you and they left. They left and they packed my things and left me like an unworthy animal on your door step. I am so afraid that you are going to find me unworthy one day, and where will I go? Where will you dump me? You are all I have left." Rachel was strangely calm as she whispered out her fears to her mother. It made Shelby uneasy to see her daughter act so calmly about something like this.

"I am never leaving you. Ever. Your fathers, Rachel, should never have treated you the way they did. I am going to be here for you. I don't care what you do, I will _always _be here for you. I am in this forever, Rachel. Through tears, trouble, and love. I am always going to be here to hold you, to read to you. I don't want you to ever think that I will leave you."

"It is so hard sometimes. I just want to be loved."

Shelby caught a tear that slid down Rachel's face with her fingers and pulled her child closer to her.

"You are loved. So much, you are loved." Shelby kissed her head.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Is sex always going to be like that? I thought it would feel good. It felt good when Noah just touched me down there. But then the actual sex…"

Shelby took a deep breath that she hoped went unnoticed by Rachel. She was not ready for this conversation. It was so hard to take in that her baby girl had had sex the night before.

But, Shelby wanted Rachel to know that she was there for her, no matter what, else this entire conversation was for nil.

"No, it isn't always like that Rachel. One day, when you are truly ready, it will be magical. You took a step that you realized you were not ready for after the fact. And, Rachel, that was okay. It is okay to make mistakes. I am glad that you have realized that you are not ready for sex, Princess, because I don't think that you are either."

"Would you be mad if I had sex again, even though I know that I am not ready?"

Rachel wanted to know what her mother thought. She wanted to trust her mother. She wanted…just her mother.

"I think that you are too young to have sex, Rach." Shelby said tentatively, carefully choosing her words.

Rachel nodded into her mother's chest.

"Yea. I think you are right." Rachel whispered.

Shelby smiled lightly and patted Rachel's back.

"How old were you when you first had sex, Mama?" Rachel asked suddenly.

Shelby didn't say anything for a few moments.

"I was a far bit older than you, Rachel." Shelby told her.

"What was it like?"

Shelby took a deep breath.

"Rachel, honey, you and I can talk about sex all you want. And, we are going to. We are going to talk about the facts and we are going to talk about how you felt and how you feel. But, Princess, I am an adult, and we are not going to discuss my sex life. Okay? I am your mother, and it is simply not appropriate. It is different when you and I talk about what you have done. You are fifteen. That is one of my jobs as your mother. Do you understand?"

Rachel nodded. She did understand. She understood that her mother was not slighting her. It probably was a question that she was not supposed to ask her mother. She'd have to ask Santana one day.

"Can I sleep in here with you, Mama?" Rachel asked, looking up at her mother.

"Yes. My door is always open for you."

"It is really late." Rachel said suddenly, noticing that it was nearly twelve at night. She was used to being asleep by now, even on the weekends.

"We aren't going to school tomorrow, so you can sleep in. I think that you and I need a day together, just the two of us so that we can talk and just relax after this weekend."

"I'd really like that." Rachel said, snuggling against her mother, her head resting on Shelby's chest.

Shelby scooted down in the bed so that she could lie down and be comfortable. Rachel adjusted a little more, and then, Rabbit in hand, wrapped her right arm over her mother.

Shelby knew that she could definitely get used to having her daughter this close to her. This trusting. This loving.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The next morning, Rachel did not want to get out of bed. Quite the opposite, she was content to stay in bed snuggled up against her mother forever.

"Are you going to lie in bed all morning, Princess?" Shelby asked without opening her eyes. She had felt Rachel wake up nearly ten minutes before, but was content to just let Rachel lie next to her.

"I don't want to get up."

"It is nice just lying here."

Rachel nodded and then turned so that she could more easily look at her mother.

"I need to text Noah and Santana and tell them I am not at school. They will think that I am skipping and come looking for me." Rachel said nonchalantly.

Shelby opened her eyes and looked down at Rachel.

"Did you skip school any last week?"

Rachel immediately looked down, telling Shelby that she had.

Shelby sighed, and then moved her hand to lift Rachel's chin.

"No more. Do you understand me? I am dead serious about this. I am not one to make idle threats, but the next time that I hear about you skipping, from this day on, I will accompany you to class, Rachel. If I can't, I am sure that Maribel would be more than happy to follow you around class. Understand?" Shelby said, knowing that it was best to go ahead and get that lecture out of the way.

"I understand. I promise I will try not to skip class anymore."

The 'I will try' was not missed on Shelby, but she would follow through with her threat the next time that Rachel skipped a class. She would have followed through with it this time if Rachel had not had such a bad weekend.

She would give Rachel this one.

"We have some things that we need to talk about, Princess."

Rachel sniffed, causing Shelby to look down.

"Hey, no crying, love. We just need to talk."

"Are you going to punish me?" Rachel asked.

"No. Why would you think that?" Shelby asked.

"Because I know that I did something wrong. I wasn't supposed to have sex with Noah, but I did. I know that you have to be disappointed."

Shelby sat up and looked closer at her daughter.

"Rachel, you did something that you shouldn't have. In this case, I think that we both agree on that. But, I am not disappointed in you. On the contrary, I am so proud that you felt that you could come and talk to me about everything and that you were not embarrassed to openly discuss the way you felt last night. So, no, you will not be punished. We are going to talk about safe sex. There are a few other things that I would like to talk to you about as well. First of all, I want to know what you know about sex. Has anyone ever talked to you about sex?"

Rachel sat up and sat indian style so that she could talk to her mother.

"No. No one has ever talked to be about sex. The only reason that I knew about birth control was because I overheard Quinn and Santana talking about it once before we became friends. I am sure the doctor talked to me some, but…I was really nervous and I wasn't really paying attention."

That didn't surprise Shelby. Rachel often didn't pay attention when she was explaining things that would help her take care of herself. It was like Rachel zoned out when Shelby started talking about medication, or food. Anything like that, and Rachel went somewhere else. Shelby was not quite sure why.

"What about when you got your period?"

"I was at The Eatery and Mattie called his sister, and she told me what was going on."

"Well, from now on, if you have questions, I want you to talk to me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I also want you to understand that birth control pills might not be one hundred percent effective." Shelby explained.

Rachel's eyes widened.

"Really? I thought that birth control would take care of everything."

"Not always, Princess. That is why it is always best to use condoms too. I need you to understand, Rachel, that I do not want you to have sex. I don't think that you are old enough, nor do I think that you are ready, and I know that you agree with me. You are just a kid, Rachel, and I want to keep you a kid as long as possible. But, I also want you to be safe."

"I don't want to have sex for a long time. It hurt." Rachel blushed. Shelby leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Rachel. Rachel sank into the hug.

Shelby held her daughter and thought.

"Rachel, I could sit here all day and spout off facts and try to scare you into not having sex. But that is not fair. I do not want to scare you into not having sex. I want you to not have sex because you are not ready and you are too young. It won't always hurt, Rachel. It won't always be awkward. But, love, you are still growing. You are only fifteen. Noah is only sixteen. Even he is still growing. Neither of you are ready to take these steps in your lives."

"I know. I promise I know. I really thought that it would be okay. That once I had sex with him that I would find out what I was missing. And, I did, Mama, I did find out what I was missing. Only, it wasn't Noah. He has been beside me for years. He has held me when I cried. He held me afterwards Saturday night. But he wasn't what I needed. Not now. I still need him, but not in the way I thought…because Noah is like me and I know that I am not what he craves either even though we really love each other. I realized that I just needed you."

Shelby wanted to cry. She wanted to cry because her baby had been so lost for so long. She also knew that no matter what Rachel said today, they still had a long road to travel.

"I will always be here for you, Rachel."

Rachel leaned back and looked up at her mother.

"I know that now, I think. But I am still afraid."

Shelby nodded, a sad look crossing her features.

"I know you are. Can you tell me what scares you the most?"

Rachel thought for several moments. What did scare her the most?

She looked up at her mother and tilted her head to the side, her brow scrunched in a deep thought.

She then took a deep breath.

"My fathers hated me, and I don't know what I did. That scares me. Quinn's parents kicked her out and Quinn won't tell anyone why. What if I do something that makes you want to kick me out? You know, once when I was ten, I saw a man drop off a puppy on the side of the road and leave it there. It was so helpless, but it was unwanted. I knew better than to pick the puppy up because my fathers would have been furious, and they were always mad at me for no reason anyways. All I could think about the day I was left here was how much like that puppy I was."

"Rachel, you know what?" Shelby asked suddenly.

Rachel shook her head.

"I. Love. You."

Rachel let a few tears slip down her cheeks but she was smiling.

"I love you, too, Mama. So much."

Shelby moved closer to Rachel and moved her around so that her back was leaning against Shelby's chest.

They sat in silence for several moments before Rachel suddenly sat up and turned to look at her mother.

Her face was serious.

"I have something that I need to give you." Rachel said and scooted off of the bed. Shelby nodded as she watched Rachel leave the room.

Less than two minutes later, Rachel was back, an old, worn looking book in her hands. One that Shelby had never seen before.

Rachel walked around to her mother's side of the bed and then crawled onto the bed and sat on her knees between her mother's legs, facing her.

She held the book to her chest, her breathing a little heavy, like she was anxious.

"I have had this for a long time. I always hoped that one day I wouldn't need it…I think…I think that now I don't need it." Rachel said, handing the book over to Shelby.

"Be careful, there are some loose things on the inside." Rachel whispered.

Shelby nodded and opened it to the first page and looked at the childish script.

_Dear Mama, I am seven years old and in the third grade. My teacher gav me this diary. I am going to use it to talk to you. I wish tht I culd live with you. Sometimes I am so sad…_

Shelby looked at Rachel and gently laid her newest prized possession on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Rachel. Thank you so much."

And then, before Shelby could make another move, Rachel launched herself into her mother's arms.

In that moment, they both felt complete.

* * *

**AN: For now, I am going to let this chapter speak for itself. I would love questions, thoughts, and comments. **


	27. Letters From the Past

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Letters From The Past**

Shelby waited until Rachel was in bed later that night to begin reading. She first studied the book. It was so worn and even faded in some spots. She recognized the paper though. Rachel had written her a note on that paper so many weeks ago. A note that had been torn out of the diary that Rachel had apparently been writing to her in for years. Many years. The diary was thick with loose papers that had been added over time and was held together with a worn, purple ribbon.

On the page that Shelby was currently looking at, the script was so childlike; yet, Shelby could still see Rachel's current writing style in the childish letters. She ran her hand over some of the pages, pages that had water spots on them.

Somehow, Shelby just knew that her baby had literally cried her soul into this diary. To her mother. A mother who was not there when she needed her. Shelby delicately ran her fingers over the bubbled spots, hoping, wishing, to get something from them of her child's soul.

Shelby felt horrible. Why had she not fought harder? Why had she been so easily persuaded?

A tear fell on the page, mixing with a dried, ageless tear, and Shelby reached up and touched her face.

She had not even realized that she had been crying. She grabbed a tissue from her bedside and wiped it away. Afterwards, she propped her pillows up against the headboard of her bed and leaned against them, drawing her knees up close so that she could prop the diary of her daughter against them.

And then she began to read random sections of the worn piece of history that her daughter had just gifted her...

_Deer Mama_

_My techer at skool thinks that I am real smart. She gav me this dairy to write in. Why don't my daddies think that I am smart? Im only seven years old. But I try to be good. I didn't mean to brake daddys favorite lamp last week…I just fel into it when I tripped over the rug. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_Skool is okay. But I wish I had a friend lyke everyone else. My daddies sayd that it is my own fault. They are probly right. I am a stupid seven year old. They told me that to. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama  
Why don't my dads love me? They yelled at me again today. I don't understand it. I thought that I was special, but I haven't felt special in a long time. I don't really know if I have felt special ever. I am eight years old and my daddies hate me because I ask about you. They say that I am too demanding. They say I don't try enough. But how can I try any harder? I make all A's in school. I am already a year ahead of my class. My teacher says that my spelling is perfect now. I don't know what to do. Will you ever find me?  
._

_. _

_Dear Mama_

_My dads told me today that I was a mistake. Everyone thinks that I am a mistake. Even with my good grades they told me I am a stupid eight year old. I am nearly nine though. If I am so dumb, why did I skip a grade? I make sure that I am not smart enough to even be at the top of my class. I am number two. Quinn Fabray is one because I let her be one. I let her even though she is mean to me sometimes. I don't think her dad likes her very much either for some reason. His eyes are mean. They are really mean._

_._

_.  
Dear Mama  
My class went in a field trip today. There were lots of moms on the trip. I felt kinda left out. I don't really have any friends. Sometimes it sucks being nearly a year younger than all my classmates. I know that I don't fit in very well. My dads would never go on a field trip with me. I bet you would, wouldn't you? I bet you'd make me feel better about not having friends too. I mean, I am nine years old and most of the kids in my class are already ten and will be nearly eleven by the time I am ten. Sometimes I wish I wouldn't have tried so hard to please my dads. Then I could have stayed in my own grade. I know better now. I make sure that I am just smart enough to get A's, but not smart enough to get moved up again. I just know that would be even worse.  
._

_.  
Dear Mama  
My dads are letting me take dance lessons! Isn't that awesome! I will get to actually leave the house and do something! I can walk there even when they aren't home because it is only a few miles away. I am so excited! I know they are doing it for show, but I do not care. I am just too excited!  
._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_I heard my dads talking today. They didn't know that I was listening. Did you really want me? They tell me you didn't, but I heard them! I heard them say that they lied to you and they shouldn't have! That they lied to you because you were a dumb kid who didn't know any better! I hate that you didn't know better. They never said your name, so I don't know what it is, but I know they were talking about you. I hate them even more! I am ten, but I am not stupid. They yell at me because they wish that I didn't exist. They throw things against the walls when I make them angry. They hit things. The only thing they don't hit it me. I am too small, and their image is everything. They even buy me electronics so people do not think they are poor. I hate it here so much. It is terrible to have so much hate in my heart. _

_._

_.  
Dear Mama,  
Today was such a bad day. I am glad I carried my diary with me in my bag because I am in the hospital and I really need to write to you. My dad made me breakfast this morning, even though he never does, and he added milk to it, I guess by accident. I couldn't breathe when I got to school and the nurse had to call an ambulance. My dads told the doctors that they couldn't come see me until later. I don't know what CPS is, but I overheard a nurse tell the doctor that they told me dads they were calling CPS if they didn't come here soon because their ten year old daughter should be the most important thing in their life. They came ten minutes later, and acted really sorry. But I know they were angry. I could tell it by the look in their eyes.  
Why do they hate me so much, Mama?_

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_They just hand me money now and tell me to get my own food. I can't eat milk or kiwi though, so I am not sure what I can eat. I went and found a restaurant that I can walk to though, and I told them what I was allergic to. Mattie and Sal and Bernadette are the family who owns the place. They make really good food. I am glad that I found it. I don't have to worry about getting food that will make me sick there.  
._

_.  
Dear Mama  
I've been home by myself for three weeks now. I wish that I had some friends who could stay with me. I don't understand why kids my age don't like me. Maybe I should try to act more like them. Maybe I shouldn't try and answer everything right in class. Maybe there is something that I am doing wrong. I wish you were here. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_Being eleven sucks. I think just being me sucks. I am always by myself. I like being around people. But…people don't really seem to like being around me._

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_My dads spent my birthday with me! Isn't that awesome! I turned twelve this year. I was really surprised that they wanted to spend time with me, but I am really excited!_

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_They left me alone for Christmas. I guess that is why they spent the day with me on my birthday. _

_._

_._

_Mama! _

_I started my period today and it freaked me out. Where are you when I need you? I had to have Mattie's sister from The Eatery come and tell me what was happening to me. I thought I was dying. Where are you?_

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_I miss you all the time. Especially when I don't feel well. I have been sick for a couple of days, throwing up and stuff. I wish that I had you here. I know that you would take care of me because that is what moms are supposed to do. My dads tell me all the time that you didn't want me, that you knew that I would be trouble the minute you saw me, but I know they are lying. I can feel it. I can see it in their eyes. That look they get when they just want me to shut up when I mention you is always there. One day, I am going to leave here. I don't even care how. I want to go to New York. I will make it there and one day my dads are going to realize that they should have loved me. I will make them realize that one day. They are going to regret not loving me._

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_Today was my first day of high school. I guess I am not going to fit in there either. My very first day and an ice cold slushie was thrown at me. I bet you have never been hit with a slushie before. I tried to tell the principal, but apparently that is simply not done here. I got hit with another afterwards. I didn't cry in front of them though. I just went to the bathroom and cleaned up both times. I never let anyone see me cry. It is a weakness, and once people learn that you are weak, they will mess with you even more. I refuse to let my schoolmates see me that way. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama _

_Noah Puckerman talked to me today. We have known each other for a while, but we have never really talked. But, unlike so many other people, he has never made fun of me. He stopped one of the cheerleaders from throwing a slushie on me, and then we went into the auditorium and climbed up in the scaffolding backstage and talked. He is a lot like me. His dad was a drunk and left, and his mom works all the time so he spends a lot of time alone. He is nice though. I am going to invite him over. He might be my first real friend._

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_Noah Puckerman has started to come and spend the nights with me. I think I love him. I am not sure. I don't think that I have ever loved anyone, but if I did, it would be him. He is fourteen, and his dad is not really around. His mom works all time. His little sister goes to friends' houses. Noah comes and sleeps with me. The slushies have stopped. He is on the football team. He is only a freshman and he already starts. Maybe since he is here, I won't be so lonely. The guidance counselor told me a couple of weeks ago that I lacked some social skills. As if she would know. She won't even touch anything that anyone else touches. How is that for social skills? It pisses me off a little bit. I mean, seriously? If she spent all of her time alone, she would lack social skills too. Bitch. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_I am fourteen. Big deal. My oh so loving fathers spent one whole hour with me. Fuck them. I left the house and walked to Noah's. I seriously hate my fathers now. I don't understand them. All I want is to be loved. Or liked. Even being liked would be enough! Or being wanted. That would be nice as well. Noah and I have been dating for months. My fathers do not care. I know that they know he stays here. I bet all parents are like them. Maybe it is normal. Maybe even you are like them. Not that I will ever know. _

_._

_._

_Dear Mama_

_I just met you. _

_I hope that we work out. _

_I am so afraid… _

_I do not think that I have ever been this scared. _

_Can you love me? _

_._

_._

Shelby stopped reading. She had not even really made a dent in the book, just randomly flipping though pages at different parts of Rachel's life, but she had read enough for now. She knew that there was no way that she would ever be able to read this diary all in one sitting and not hunt down the Berry men. Tears fell down her face. She wanted to cause harm the Berry men's very beings. She wanted to make them pay for everything that they had done to her baby. She had never, not in her entire life, felt the rage she currently felt.

But, most of all, Shelby was angry with herself. She wished, so badly she wished, that she could have made things better for her daughter before she had suffered for fifteen years. Fifteen damn years her child had done without the most basic of things.

One thing that Shelby did know, though, was that she needed to be close to her child right then. She needed to hold her. Touch her. She simply had to make sure that Rachel was okay.

She had to make sure that she was okay as well.

Shelby sat up and then got on the floor, pulling out her box of cards from under her bed. Cards that she would, one day, give Rachel when they were both ready. They were not yet ready for that step. She opened the box and then laid the worn diary in it so that Rachel would not try to take it from her room if she came looking for it. Shelby had other ideas for Rachel if she came looking for the diary, and she would have to go to a store sometime this week to put those plans into action. She would continue reading it at another time. Another day. She had to process what she had read first. So much sorrow filled her heart right now.

How was her child such a good kid after everything that she had gone through? Sure, there was a lot that Rachel had to learn, sure there were times when she misbehaved, and she had a dramatic flair for temper tantrums, but overall, Rachel was a great kid. She was loveable and wonderful. Rachel was absolutely perfect.

Shelby walked across the hall into Rachel's room. She walked across the room and sat on the window seat for a few moments so that she could watch Rachel sleep, the child's chest rising and falling deeply in sleep.

Soon, though, she could stand it no longer and walked over to the bed and lay down beside Rachel.

"Mama?" Rachel said groggily opening her eyes open as much as she could when she felt her mother crawl in her bed behind her.

"Shh, princess. It is just me. Do you mind if I lie down with you?" Shelby asked, running her fingers gently through her daughter's hair.

Rachel, in her sleep filled haze, smiled and snuggled closer to her mother.

"I don' mind. Love you."

Then Rachel was immediately back to sleep, snuggling back into her mother in silent comfort.

Shelby draped her arm across Rachel and smiled as she kissed the side of Rachel's forehead.

She felt better knowing that her baby girl was safe in her arms. Sleep was finally able to overtake Shelby's mentally exhausted body.

* * *

**AN: Okay, this chapter was short, but it was better than nothing. I know that people have been wanting an update, and this is not where I was originally going to leave off, but I do not have as much time right now as I did last semester so updates are going to be slower for a while. Being sick for five weeks did not help either, since that was my entire holiday, and I had planned on writing a lot then. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed it. Thoughts, comments, questions? **


	28. Jealous Misunderstandings

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Jealous Misunderstandings**

Rachel woke up the next morning and stretched, surprised that her mother was still lying beside her. It was Tuesday, and Rachel thought that they were going to school today, but guessed that they weren't since her mother was still sleeping. Rachel shrugged, moved her mother's arm, and then climbed out of the bed. If her mother didn't want to go to school, she sure wasn't going to fuss about it.

Rachel walked down into the kitchen and looked in the fridge. Her mom always cut up fruit the night before for breakfast, so Rachel grabbed the bowl of cut up fruit, a fork, and sat down at the table and began eating straight out of the huge bowl. She was hungry. It was seven fifteen, a bit later than she normally ate on a weekday. She hoped once summer was here she would be able to sleep in until at least nine most days and stay up as late as she wanted.

She jumped slightly when the phone rang. It was the house phone and the only person who ever called it was Aunt Weezy. Everyone else usually called their cell phones. Aunt Weezy used the house phone when she couldn't get through to them on their cells. Rachel walked to the counter, picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, taking a bite of fruit from the bowl beside her.

_"Rachel, honey, where are you? Is everything okay?"_

"Yea, why wouldn't it be?" Rachel asked as she chewed the fruit in her mouth.

_"Where is Shelly? When I talked to her last night she said that you would both be going to school and work today and that you would be at the house at your normal time. Rachel Barbra, stop chewing with your mouth open, Child! I can hear you through the phone!"_

Rachel's mouth immediately shut, her teeth clicking together as she did so. How in the world had her aunt heard that? She quickly finished chewing and then swallowed.

"I don't know. I guess we aren't going. Mama slept in my bed with me last night and she is still sleeping."

_"Honey, you don't have an alarm clock in your room, do you?"_

"Nope." Rachel said, completely oblivious to what her aunt was getting at. On the other end of the line, Kate was rolling her eyes. Rachel was acting oblivious, but deep down, Kate had a feeling that the little princess knew exactly what she was doing.

_"Rachel, sweetie, go give your mom the phone, please." _

Rachel rolled her eyes. Her mom was sleeping and she did not want to wake her up at the moment. Plus she was eating.

Rachel got up though and made her way up the stairs and into her room, where her mother was laid out in the bed, clutching Rachel's rabbit.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. Her mom better be glad that she was her mom. Otherwise, they would totally be fighting right at that moment. That rabbit was hers, and no one else's. She only tolerated her mother touching the creature occasionally. Rachel sighed and decided that this once, she would let it go. It was as if by instincts that she was so possessive of the poor, defenseless rabbit.

Rachel walked over to the bed and nudged her mother. She had never woke up her mother. Ever. She rarely even ever saw the woman sleeping because she didn't go to bed until after Rachel was asleep and woke up before Rachel.

Rachel nudged her mother with her pointer finger. She wasn't sure how to properly wake up the woman who was sleeping in her bed and holding onto her rabbit.

Poking her didn't work. Shaking her didn't work.

Rachel sighed and looked down at the phone before lifting it back up to her ear.

"She won't wake up." Rachel said into the phone, slowly growing impatient.

_"Rachel, shake her shoulder. Talk to her. No. Put the phone against her ear. I will wake her up."_ Kate said, knowing exactly how to get Shelby up.

Rachel shrugged and placed the phone against her mother's ear and watched.

What happened next was one of the funniest things that Rachel had ever seen. Not ten seconds after she put the phone against Shelby's ear, Shelby shot up, her eyes wide and the phone flying to the floor.

Rachel bent down and picked up the cordless and Shelby tried to shake the sleep out of her fogged mind. Where was she? What time was? Why had she just awakened so quickly?

Shelby looked up and stared at her daughter who was holding the phone out at her mother, a look of humor etched onto her face.

Her child was trying not to laugh. Shelby rolled her eyes and held her hand out for the phone with one hand and rubbed her face with the other. There was only one person in the world who could have shaken Shelby out of the deep sleep she had been in, and that was Weezy. Shelby sighed. That, and the sun pouring through the window in Rachel's window only meant one thing: She had overslept.

What a way to start out the rest of their week. As Shelby held the phone up to her ear to listen to her sister, and watched her daughters glimmering eyes, she internally sighed. She was still tired, and honestly wouldn't mind sleeping the day away with her kid, but knew that there was no way that she could do that. School would be out soon enough for the summer, and then they would have time for the extras and the nothings all day and every day. Shelby was looking forward to that and she had a feeling that Rachel was too.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

The week literally dragged by and Shelby was never so happy to walk into her entrance hall Friday afternoon after a long day of fussing at students who were just as ready to be home for the weekend as she was. Her show choir kids had had a horrible practice, and she had been tempted to hold them over or call a Saturday practice, but she knew that Rachel would never forgive her since they were supposed to go out to dinner with the Lopezs' for Quinn's adoptions celebration since the adoption had gone through and was now legal, and neither would Weezy who she had promised most of her Saturday to since both would be kid free until about four Saturday afternoon.

The adoption had gone through quickly with no problems. It helped, Shelby realized, that Santiago and Maribel knew people and that the Fabrays had immediately given up all parental rights with a few restrictions, one being that Quinn go with the Lopezs and took on the Lopez name. Shelby had talked a couple nights prior to Maribel, and Maribel had told her that Quinn, while adjusting well because she had spent much time there already during her childhood, was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that her parents wanted nothing to do with her at all now. She would never again hold the Fabray name, and while that in itself did not bother her, she was still upset at the meanings behind it.

Shelby understood, only because it seemed that even Rachel had not yet come to terms with her fathers leaving her on her mother's doorstep, on her birthday, on one of the coldest days of the year.

How could they though? Why should they? They were children. They were fifteen and sixteen years old. If they never came to terms with being abandoned by people who were supposed to love them unconditionally, Shelby could not blame them. Maribel had also told her that Quinn had still not yet told her why she had been kicked out, and neither of the Fabrays had offered up the information. She did think that Quinn would tell her in her own time, and both she and Santiago had decided not to push the subject.

"Mama! Are you ready? We have to go! Dinner is at six!" Rachel yelled from her room. Kate had dropped off Rachel early so that she could get ready since it would take Rachel longer, and since Shelby would be home not long after. Apparently the three teenagers had gotten together and talked at length about how they were going to dress and do their hair and makeup since the restaurant was, according to them, 'fancy'. It was amusing to all of the adults.

"Rachel, do not yell. I am right here." Shelby said as she walked up the stairs and then peered into Rachel's room. Rachel was sitting on her bed going through her purse and looked up at Shelby, her hair and makeup already fixed, her dress laying out on the bed beside her.

"Mama, are you ready? It is already five ten."

Shelby shook her head slightly.

"I have to change real quick. Did you pack your bag with everything that was on the list that I left you?" Shelby asked. Rachel rolled her eyes. Her mother had left her a list of what she needed to pack to spend the night at Santana and Quinn's house. Rachel had fussed, telling her mother that she knew how to pack.

"Remember Weezy's?" Shelby had fired back. Rachel had blushed and taken the list.

"I packed everything that was on the list. Promise, Mama." Rachel said, pointing to her overnight bag.

Shelby smiled, leaned in to give Rachel a peck on the cheek, and then turned to head over to her room.

"Get your dress on, Love. And your jacket and boots. You can put your flats on in the car." Shelby said just as she walked into her room.

She almost felt like she might cry. This was her baby girl's first real sleepover.

Shelby looked down at her watch and then hurried to her room so that she could change before her little energizer bunny came and pounced on her for not getting ready quickly enough.

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel was excited as she walked over to Quinn and Santana in the parking lot of the upscale restaurant they were going to eat in celebration for Quinn's adoption. Each of the girls was dressed up in a dress: Rachel's a deep purple, Santana's a maroon, and Quinn's a soft pink. The adults were dressed up as well, and while excited, were not nearly as excited about getting dressed up and eating out as the three girls were. Those three were even more excited about their sleepover that would take place afterwards.

Maribel walked over to Shelby and smiled.

She knew what was wrong.

"It will be okay, Shelby. She will be at my house, so no harm will come to her."

Shelby smiled.

"Oh I know she will be safe. The question, however, is your home going to be the same after I pick up the Princess tomorrow."

Maribel laughed as they watched Santiago joke around with the girls while they waited on the two mothers.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, they were greeted by the hostess who was very familiar with both Santiago and Maribel, and with Shelby, and immediately took them to a the large, round table that Santiago had reserved the previous week. The girls all sat next to one another, Santana in the middle, with Quinn to her right and Rachel to her left, the girls' mothers on either side of them, with Santiago, the lone male, between Shelby and Maribel.

As they looked over the menu, the girls discussing what they wanted to eat in this restaurant, and Rachel then nonchalantly checking with her mother about her food choices. As the dinner went on, the girls became more and more excited for no other reason than the fact that they were simply being teenage girls. The food came and they ate and joked, much to the amusement of the three parents.

No one forgot why they were there though. They were there to celebrate Quinn and her entering the Lopez family. Shelby noticed several times through the dinner that Quinn would sneak her hand over to latch onto the edge of Maribel's top, something that previously she probably never would have realized. But things were different now for Shelby. She was a mother. That alone made her look at things differently. Even a screaming teenager in the mall came across her view differently since Rachel.

Who knew that the kid was going through to make him or her act that way? Rachel had had bouts of tantrums since she moved in, but it didn't change anything. Maribel said that Santana had one of the worst tempers of any child she had ever in her life seen, and she had dragged her into the nearest bathroom more than once. Quinn, apparently, was more mild mannered than both Rachel and Santana outside of school, but had a bad habit of bullying students, something that Maribel and Santiago refused to put up with. Things, it seemed, were slowly starting to pan out the way they were supposed to for both families.

"Quinn, your mother and I, along with Santana, have a gift for you." Santiago said, clearing his throat, still getting used to being able to announce to the world that Quinn was his daughter, despite the fact he had felt that way for years. He would not share his recliner with just anyone, and he and Quinn and been playfully trying to get one over on one another concerning that chair since the girl was practically a toddler.

Quinn looked up, surprised. A gift? She certainly did not need anything. She already had the best gift she could ever ask for, as far as she was concerned, and that was her family, and never having to go back to the hell she had come from. She was well aware that some people would always think that her biological parents were amazing people. She knew that. She simply did not care. She was no longer a Fabray. She was a Lopez. She had been a Lopez for a long time, only now… now it was on paper and legal and the Fabray's could do nothing about it.

Quinn smiled as she took the wrapped box that Santiago handed her. She stared at it for a moment. This was not the first present that she had gotten from them by any means. But it was, however, the first present that she had gotten from them as her parents and sister.

Quinn gently unwrapped the box, first taking off the ribbons and then the golden, thick paper. The box was rectangular. Obviously there was a piece of jewelry in it. Quinn carefully opened the lid and looked inside. She barely stifled a cry that she felt sneaking up when she saw the piece of jewelry inside.

It was silver and there was a plate in the middle of the chain. She looked at the plate that was connected by the two chains and stifled back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

She turned to Maribel and shoved her head roughly into her shoulder.

There, in her outreached hand, so everyone could catch a glimpse of it, was her name, engraved into the delicate silver.

_Quinn Mauri Lopez_

Rachel looked at the bracelet for several minutes, envy and jealousy in the pit of her stomach, though at first she wasn't sure why.

Then it hit her. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Quinn was not the Lopezs' real daughter, but they had adopted her and given them her last name.

All the while she still carried the last name Berry.

_Berry_.

She hated the name. It was _their _name. They left her over and over and then finally they had dropped her off at her mother's house like a puppy.

She felt a tear stinging her left eye.

But, she was an actress at heart. She felt a false smile spread across her face and heard herself congratulate Quinn.

She really was happy for Quinn.

But…then why did she feel so uneasy inside?

**-Left-Left-Left-Left-Left-**

Rachel knew as soon as she walked into Quinn's room and set her things on the floor, that the night was going to be long. Very long.

Everywhere that she looked, there were pictures. Pictures in frames, pictures hanging with blue sticky tack around one window, pictures on an oak desk around a computer. There were literally pictures everywhere.

Pictures of Quinn and her family. Her new family. A family that accepted her.

And, from what the pictures told, they had accepted her for some time.

There were pictures of Quinn from, it looked, the time she was five until now. Some were just Quinn and Santana, some were of Maribel and Quinn, and others were of Santiago and Quinn. There were pictures of pool parties, birthday parties, and school events.

Rachel swallowed.

Then she looked at Quinn's computer and noticed a single picture that did not seem to match the others. A picture into the past.

Rachel stepped closer, not even aware that both Santana and Quinn were watching her, Santana with curiosity and Quinn with a hint of sadness.

"Who is that, Quinn? She looks exactly like you." Rachel said, staring at a much younger version of Quinn …Rachel would guess that she was about four or five years old and that the girl next to her was about twelve or thirteen.

Quinn looked at the picture for a second, the memories hitting her all at once. Yes, that picture sat on her desk, and yes, she passed it every day. But, she rarely studied it the way that Rachel was now. It brought up too many memories.

"That is my older sister Frannie. She left when I was nine and she was eighteen. She is nine years older than I am." Quinn mumbled.

Rachel turned to stare at her, to study her.

"You have a real sister?" Rachel asked almost sarcastically. Why was it that Quinn had so much? She was popular, had a loving family, and had a real sister. Why was it so easy for people to love Quinn…for people to always love Quinn…but so hard for them to love her? There was not one picture of her that her mother had taken, and there definitively wasn't one of her mother and her together. It wasn't fair. The Lopez family had wanted Quinn. Shelby Corcoran was stuck with Rachel whether she liked it or not.

Santana had bristled at the mention of Quinn having a 'real' sister. Was she not Quinn's real sister? She and Quinn had been best friends forever, and her parents had adopted Quinn. That was what tonight was all about, celebrating Quinn officially becoming part of the family.

"I…yes." Quinn said.

Santana turned to stare at Quinn, but then quickly turned her stare towards Rachel when she saw the hurt look on Quinn's face. Quinn was her sister. Maybe not her biological sister, but they were sisters all the same. The look quickly turned into a menacing glare.

"Why do you always have to ruin things, Rachel Berry ? Things were going to well. Things were perfect today! Then you ruined them! Just like always! You ruin things Rachel _Berry_." Santana hissed, Rachel's last name coming out with venom. Santana wasn't stupid. She knew that the girl, hated her fathers and having their last name.

Quinn stared at Santana. She was in shock at the venomous words spilling from her sisters mouth.

She then chanced a look at Rachel, just in time to watch several tears drip down her face and hit her shirt.

"Get out of my room, Santana." Quinn said steadily.

Santana and Rachel both looked at her with shock.

"Now, Santana. Get out of my room."

Santana stared at Quinn, but Quinn just glared at her with intensity that Santana have never felt, so she slowly turned and walked out of the room.

"Whatever, Quinn. Take _Berry's_ side."

The door then slammed shut, leaving only a door between the three girls, but something else entirely separated them, and not one of them understood exactly what it was.


End file.
